Fighting Back
by It's-A-Passion
Summary: It's the outbreak of World War III, and Harper is thrust into the middle of it. Harper's dad taught her well; she can handle guns, she knows basic combat skills, she knows how to hunt, basically, she knows how to survive. And now, with a group of people in the same situation as her, including her long time family friends, the Eckert brothers, she's going to fight back. Robert/OC.
1. The Beginning of the End of What I Knew

The Beginning of the End of What I Knew

I guess you could say the tradition started with my dad's dad's dad. Nearly every male in my family went into the US Military. I had two uncles one in the Air Force and one in the Navy, and a great uncle who was also in the Navy, and a granddad who was in the Army, but my great granddad, who started it all, was the first to be a part of the Special Forces when the field grew during the Second World War. My dad was the second.

It was his life; the life he chose, the life he loved. That wasn't to say he didn't miss us when he was deployed, just that he loved his job and the work he did. And when he was home, he spent as much time with us as he could, but he also had his own interests which he shared with me and tried to share with my sister.

One of those things was camping, which we did a little differently to everyone else, because it was more like a game we played when I was younger. He called it 'Survival', where we'd take next to nothing with us, and go hiking and hunting, and it was always up to me to remember and then find where the hidden storage boxes, put in various places all over the woods and containing food and blankets and other items we'd want but not necessarily need, were hidden. It was an odd game, but I found it fun most times. Shooting was another, which he taught me, explaining the different parts of a gun, how to clean them, how to line them up, and then he brought me along with him when he went hunting. It wasn't until I was older that I realized he was teaching me stuff he knew from his job. It became less of a game then, a little more real, more serious, because I realized it was what he did every time he left.

He was different to my friends dad's, but it didn't bother me, it was just an observation I made over the years. The kind of things he taught me and showed me would probably be considered too out there or over the top for a young girl. If people knew, they'd probably even say my dad was paranoid, because who taught those kinds of things without thinking they'd be used in the future? I guess, in a way, he kind of was; who teaches their daughter basic combat skills and how to handle weapons? Who goes camping in the woods every chance they could get and take their daughter with them? Who sets up various sites and bunkers in the woods and stocks them with food/clothes/weapons? Who makes their daughter remember those sites? I liked to think it was his way of making me independent and capable.

My dad could never get my older sister, Natalie, into any of that stuff; she liked civilization far too much to spend much time away from it, but I enjoyed it; I enjoyed the camping, the trekking, the shooting and hunting, the learning to hold my own, all that physical stuff, but most of all, I liked spending time with my dad, just him and me. The funny thing was, I looked most like my mum, but my personality was most like my dad's, while Natalie looked most like dad and her personality was most like mums. Mum pushed me into school work, instilling in me a want to do better, to learn more, and I would, I'd make sure I was ahead in all the school work, so that when dad came back, we'd have plenty of time to head to the woods, like we usually did, and I'd have something to impress him with. I knew those woods better than I knew my own house.

But despite that, I wouldn't consider myself a tomboy; I had long, curly hair, a petite but full figure and a soft, heart-shaped face and I liked talking with my friends, who were all girls; we went shopping, which I liked as much as most girls, and stayed up late gossiping, and dissecting every little movement and word of the guys we liked. When dad came home, spending time with him meant doing those things as well, and I just so happened to like them, and he liked teaching me. He liked sharing that part of himself with me, with someone interested.

He was the strongest, smartest, fastest person I knew, so it never occurred to me that when he left he might not come back. Until the doorbell rang and two men showed up.

The last things I had of my dad was what he taught me, and his dog tags; both I kept with me all the time.

…..

Our next door neighbors, the Eckerts, I'd grown up with, and they understood better than most, because of their mom. When we were younger, I pretended Matt and Jed were my real brothers; I'd always wanted brothers. Our parents got along well, so we were often thrown together, but I liked it.

Being the youngest meant I followed the older kids around and did what they did. Mattie let me play video games with him, and when Jed went to the park to play a game of football or basketball with his friends, he let me come with him. He was much older than me, in his late teens, and a 'big kid' so I always felt lucky when he let me go somewhere with him. He never let me play, because I was too young, and they liked to play rough, but I got to blow the whistle when the ref, one of his friends whose turn it was to sit out, said to, and Jed always stayed later and we played a game, just him and me.

Nat would come along occasionally, and we'd play games by ourselves. We were closer then, and while Jed played some sport or other, we'd go to the swings or the slide, and run and laugh for hours, until Jed had to practically pry our fingers from the monkey bars. We didn't always make it easy for him. But then Nat started having sleepovers with her friends, and I wasn't invited, so I latched myself to Mattie or Jed while she was talking to her friends on the phone, or doing something else by herself. Half the time, she organised to go shopping or to the movies with her friends, and I was too young for any of that.

Mattie was always willing to let me play video games with him, probably because he always beat me. He was only two years older than me, but he was far more advanced at the play station or Xbox than I was.

I was only ten when Jed left to join the Marines, right after their mum died, which just left Mattie. Mattie and I'd grown close over the years, and I really did consider him my older brother by two years. He considered me his younger sister by two years, though sometimes he could be a little protective. That was a negative to having 'brothers'; the protectiveness, especially when I was more than capable of handling myself. When Jed left, I made him promise to write, and he did, though his letters were few and far between, but as far as I was concerned, he was my brother too.

When my dad died, Jed was away still; he hadn't been back at all since he left, and he didn't come back for the funeral, but I forgave him. Mattie was there, and he understood. When people whispered in the hallways at school, pointed me out, and looked at me with sympathy and pity, both things I couldn't stand, Mattie was there to help out. He ate lunch with me, and told me jokes until I was laughing so hard I was crying. He made school better.

I was never really the 'talk about your feelings' type, while Nat had a bunch of close girlfriends who were supportive that she could unburden herself on. I was fourteen, and my friends weren't old enough to understand what was going on with me, why I was pulling away and spending more time on my own, and I couldn't explain how I felt when I didn't even know either; I couldn't just talk the way Nat did, so I relied on someone outside my family who understood what I couldn't say: Mattie.

I wrote to Jed often, though he replied far less, which he apologized for and I forgave. Things eventually got better, but they were still my older brothers. I guess they both thought that, when my dad died, there needed to be protective male figures around for me, and even though Jed wasn't around, he said he'd still kick the butt of anyone who bothered me or Nat. And Mattie was popular, people loved him, and just one well-placed glare had people backing off. Though, it was rare that I was ever bothered, or that I needed Mattie to help. I could handle myself. But I still appreciated it.

I loved them for that.

….

"You're so clumsy," Nat groaned as I practically fell into her car seat after having caught my foot on the bottom because I didn't lift it high enough.

"Am not," I defended, slamming her door to make a point.

She cringed, "Don't do that."

I shrugged at her, waiting patiently for her to hurry up and drive already. The diner would be packed by the time we got there. It always was after football games.

Tonight was no different. People jostled to get a booth, but mainly everyone just hung with each other, speaking to whoever they recognized. Nat and I split ways without so much as a word; we had different friends, though we got along pretty well. I spotted Hayley, one of my best friends arrive, and she started to make her way over when I waved. I went to meet her half way when I heard a very familiar voice.

"Can I get another beer please?"

I spun around, "Jed?!" I squeaked. "No way! Jed!"

He spun around, his face plastered with a vaguely annoyed expression. I guessed it to be directed at the two guys he was standing with. His jaw dropped and he looked shocked. "Harper?"

"Your back!" I flung my arms around him, grinning ecstatically. I didn't even notice the two other guys leave. I pulled back before hitting him in the chest. He looked at me dumbfounded. "Why didn't you tell me you were back?" I demanded, not at all pleased about being left out of the loop. "Six years, Jed Eckert, and I get no word of warning?" I reprimanded.

"I…it was going to be a surprise," he offered up weakly and I shook my head at him, annoyed.

"It's a crappy surprise. That's a lie. It's a great surprise. Six years is a long time." He just looked at me, making me self-conscious. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

He shook his head, "You're all grown up. When I left you were about this tall," he gestured somewhere between his hip and abdomen and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, believe it or not, that tends to happen," I grinned.

"You must have a trail of boys after you," he grumped, looking behind me as if expecting to see them lined up. I smacked him on the arm and laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not," he said. "You must be beating them back with a stick."

A giggle escaped my lips as I laughed at the absurd idea of hitting people with sticks. It was a funny image, "Stop."

"I'm just saying, you let them know I own a gun. Actually, I own multiple guns. Tell them that," he grinned, looking like he liked the idea of threatening some poor guy. I leaned back against the counter, turning away, and feeling very short next to him; he really bulked up when he joined the Marines, and I was already short. "Come on, you're my little sister, you're not allowed to have boobs, and no guy's allowed to notice that you do."

"Jed!" I said, surprised, my cheeks warming up. "I'm sixteen!"

"So?" he shrugged.

I sighed, "It's good to have you back, Jed. I missed you," I smiled up at him. He smiled back.

"How's your sister?"

"Bossy as ever," I grumped, rolling my eyes. We both knew how bossy Nat could be, even when we were kids.

He laughed, "That sounds like Nat. And your mum?"

"She's good. Pushy as ever; I think she wants me to be a doctor or an engineer because I have 'so much potential'," I rolled my eyes, "But I'm not interested in either of those jobs. i don't know what I'm interested in, but it's not that."

He nodded, "How's your shooting?"

"Sharp as ever," I grinned devilishly.

"Jed Eckert." A voice said, and I looked around Jed's massive chest to see Toni leaning against the counter too, smiling at him.

I took it as my cue, "I'll see you later, Jed."

"Yeah, okay," he waved and I headed to find Hayley, walking past Mattie and Erica. I waved.

"Good game, Mattie," I said.

"Wasn't it?" he agreed, grinning and I rolled my eyes.

"Modesty at its finest," I laughed and he reached out to ruffle my hair, but I dodged his hand. "Your reflexes are slowing," I mocked.

"Twerp," he replied.

"Slowpoke. Good seeing you Erica," I smiled, having spotted Hayley at a table with Taylor and Bec, who shuffled to the side so I could sit, and just as I did, the lights went out.

"Power outage," I shouted over everyone, as it got louder. We got, even though I only just sat down, and headed for the door, accidentally bumping into people as we went, and losing each other in the throng.

I couldn't see much and the next second I was walking right into someone, "Sorry," I automatically said.

"That's okay," was the reply. Male. Somewhat familiar, though most voices around here are.

"I can't see anything," I explained.

"Here," he said, and suddenly long, rough fingers were gripping my own, leading me through to the door and out to where there was more light from the moon.

"Oh," I blinked, no longer squinting to try to see. I turned to him, recognizing the brown hair, and defined, wide jawline. "Thanks Robert."

"No problem," he smiled, kind of lopsided, and then I heard Nat calling to me.

"Get your butt over here," she called.

I rolled my eyes at Robert. "So bossy," I muttered, before doing as she asked anyway.

"Bye," he called after me.

"Bye," I replied

"Too much _bye_-ing not enough _walk_-ing," Nat called. "I want to get home, some idiot spilt his coke all over my shirt."

* * *

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	2. Death Came Calling, And I Ran

Death Came Calling, And I Ran

I woke up early and went for a run. I don't always, but I tried to as often as I could. The predawn light spilled over the horizon as I ran, feeling the burn in my legs. Getting good grades had been for mum, shooting guns had been for dad, but running every morning listening to my IPod had been for me. But now, I was beginning to realize it was all for me; it made me who I was. And I liked who I was.

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I gasped in air, and my mind drifted from the song I was listening to, enjoying the ache in my legs and sides. There was a slight breeze, which wasn't really welcome considering we were heading into winter, and it would hit us hard for sure. Occasionally I had to brush hair back from my eyes, particularly the shorter bits that didn't quite reach my high ponytail. The pavement curved, changing directions that put me directly into the path of the rising sun.

The sun was right in my face, so I looked down, watching the concrete pass under my lightweight running shoes. As I reached the half-way point of my run, the ground gave a shudder, jolting my legs and causing me to fall to the ground. I hissed when I felt the sting of a cut exposed to the air, inspecting the torn skin of my knees. I clenched my jaw to hold back tears of pain, making myself stand up.

Then I saw them; parachutes descending from the sky, thousands of them. I frowned, confused as to what was going on. Then I heard the distinct sound of a semi-automatic emptying a clip. And then I heard screams.

And then I bolted.

Everywhere, everywhere were men in parachutes, and every now and then was the rumbling on the ground. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I ran as fast as I could, and for the moment, I felt no pain. All I knew was that something was terribly wrong and I had to get home.

I had to get home to my mum and sister who were tucked peacefully in their beds, oblivious. Then again, with the shaking of the earth and the screaming, they should be waking up now.

Then I saw planes, dark against the early morning light blue of the sky. I heard a loud bang and saw a fiery shape, presumably a plane, fall from the sky. Another bang as it collided with a house and it exploded. My hand slapped over my mouth, suppressing a scream.

_What was going on?!_

Oh, my God. Oh, my God. The worst thing was I had no idea what was happening, so I didn't know how to react. Surely, if this was some kind of joke, if they were friendly forces instead of hostile, there wouldn't be gun fire, there wouldn't be exploding planes, there wouldn't be screaming, and nobody would be dead. But there was.

Men were touching down on the road, lifting up their AK's and looking around. I veered off the footpath and jumped a fence into someone's back yard; I don't know why I didn't do this sooner; the shortest distance between two points was a straight line, so the quickest way to get home would be to go through people's yards.

Everywhere it was chaos and panic; no one knew what to do, where to go, _what was going on_.

I ran faster than I usually did, faster than I knew I could, leaping over objects in my way, not stopping for anything. I could hear the thumping in my ears as blood pounded past. I made it out onto the street again, running straight across it. People were stumbling out of their houses, looking around, trying to figure out what was going on. I ran past them all.

Through more peoples yards, over more fences. And then I got to our street. The house four doors down was nothing but a mess of broken wood planks and smoke and charred fragments. I swallowed thickly, spotting my house, and thanking God it wasn't my house that was smashed to bits.

The door was open. My heart stopped. I bounded up the three steps of the front porch, trying to ignore the boot marks printed on the door, and marring the otherwise clean carpet on the other side.

I couldn't get up the stairs fast enough, my feet moving so fast I caught the edge of a step and fell forward, catching myself before pushing back up.

Natalie's room was closest and the door was open.

I came to an abrupt halt as I stared at her room. It looked exactly the way it always did; sky blue walls, pictures of her friends everywhere, her bureau littered with various make-up tools I'd never given a second thought to, except Natalie wasn't in her bed; she was on the floor in front of the door, a gaping bullet wound puckering the skin of her temple. There was a blood trail from the wound that ran to the carpet, contrasting brilliantly against her pale ivory skin, her dark brown eyes dull, without the usual glow I saw in them as she stared blankly at the ceiling. The only things we had in common; our skin and eyes, and they were both ruined.

I distantly heard a loud scream and it took a moment to realize it was me as I knelt over her. I tried to ignore the cold, wet feeling on my knees, but I knew. It was her blood. I was kneeling in a pool of her blood, cradling her head on my lap.

Tears ran down my face, landing on hers.

"Oh, god, no Nat, please. Please, wake up. Don't leave me. WAKE UP!" I sobbed. I couldn't breathe through my nose, it was all clogged up, but in the back of my mouth I could taste copper.

All that red, it was covering me, on me, leaked all over the floor when it should be in her, in her veins. Keeping her alive. Pain clutched at my chest, gripping my heart, wrapping it in steel and squeezing, harder and harder.

"Nat," I whispered hoarsely. My throat stung, my eyes stung. "Nat. Please. Please. Nat."

She couldn't be dead. I saw the blood. I saw the vacant eyes. I saw the hole in her head. I saw it all, but it couldn't be true. There was no way. This had to be a dream. That was the only explanation, because none of it made any sense.

Any second now, mum would walk through my bedroom door to make sure I got back okay from my run, and Nat would run to the bathroom before to get ready before I could. She always did that, even though she knew it would mean I'd be covered in sweat until she deigned herself presentable. I'd bang on the door to get her to hurry up and mum would complain that one day the door would just break and –

Mum.

I pushed myself up, wiping at my blurry eyes and staggering down the hall to the master bedroom. I didn't even make it there.

The red circle caught my attention first, before I saw the petite figure in the middle of it. My palm smacked against the wall as I doubled over, heaving up any remnants from last night's dinner.

This couldn't be happening.

I dropped down beside her, grabbing a hold of her shoulders, which were just as small as mine, and shaking. I pulled her to me, hugging her, sobbing into her shoulder as her head lolled about. There was so much blood; how could it all come from someone so small? It couldn't all be hers. Her fingers were wrapped around the pistol kept in her bedside table. The pistol dad made her keep there.

I nearly vomited again; did she even get a chance to use it? She was still in her bathrobe.

There was no way this could be happening. It had to be a dream. I was ready to wake up now. Now. I pinched my arm. Nothing. I was still here.

This was really happening. My dad was dead, my mum was dead, my sister was dead. And I was all alone. I should be dead too; if I hadn't gone for a run, I could have been here, I could have helped.

_Think, Harper, think,_ I screamed at myself. _Pull yourself together! _

If dad were here, he'd know what to do. Of course he would. But he wasn't here, so I had to think like him, because at the very least he knew how to survive, which is what he'd taught me, which is what I had to do. But it was hard to think over the pounding of my head and the bitter taste in my mouth and the pain in my chest and the constricting of my throat. What do I do? Obviously something's going on, and no one's clued in. Houses weren't safe. Roads weren't safe. Where was?

The answer came to me quickly: the woods.

I attempted to dry my eyes, standing up and taking the gun with me. I wiped it on my shirt before shoving it into the band of my running shorts. My hands shook, and suddenly the adrenaline caught up to me and I was gasping in deep breaths as I stared at the blood covering my hands, up my arms. I gaged. There were loud shouts on the street outside, pulling my out of my haze and pushing me on. I had to get out of here.

I pushed myself to my room, grabbing a duffel bag, shoving in the first items of clothes I could get my hands on, before bolting to the bathroom and grabbing everything I needed, then to the kitchen to collect non-perishables and to the drawer with the matches, and lastly, the garage. My fingers trembled with the urgency running through me, forcing me to finish my task faster; think, collect, move on, think, collect, move on.

I had to get out. Every second I wasted was another second gone, another chance it'll be hard to get to the woods. I spotted an old t-shirt of dads, now used as a rag and grabbed it too, holding onto it.

My fingers, coloured in red sticky blood, fumbled over the lock of the small trunk which held our guns. I shoved in the hand gun and the disassembled rifle, the end sticking out slightly of the bag, extra bullets, a compass and map of the range. It was heavy, weighing me down, pulling on my shoulder but I ignored it. Now was not the time to complain. Besides, who did I have to complain to?

The coppery, bitter taste at the back of my throat threatened to make me vomit at any second.

I went out the back, ducking low when I heard shouting, jumping over to next door. I banged on it as loudly as I dared. Nobody answered. I wrapped the old rag around my hand, surreptitiously glanced around, before punching through the glass and reaching in, unlocking the sliding door. Shards crunched under my shoes as I entered. I ignored the throbbing of my knuckles as best I could. Quickly, I ran through the house, checking bedrooms. No one was there and there was no sign of a struggle. I breathed a sigh of relief that was short lived.

As I ran down the stairs, a man walked through the front, carrying a gun. The blood drained from my face and I lost feeling in my fingers. I caught him by surprise because the next second I was pulling the trigger of my pistol before he'd even moved his. The bullet went through his arm and he dropped the gun, crying out.

I ran, flying out the back, sure the noise would have alerted somebody that there was a living person in here, my legs killing and my lungs begging for more oxygen, more than I could suck down. Over more fences, I weaved, avoiding anything that moved. A dog yapped at me, startling me, nearly making me shoot it. My eyes were wide as they darted around, over everything, and I was sure I looked wild and a little crazy, but I didn't care. My heart beat so loud I was sure the whole neighborhood would hear it, my back was tensed, certain there were guns trained there and any second would be my last.

I wouldn't let myself think of Nat and mum. My heart just couldn't handle it on top of the panic and stress and fear. Add in grief and guilt and raw pain, and I'd be heading into overload territory.

And then bullets were chasing me with rapid fire succession. One zipped past my ear and I dived to the side, changing course and turning the corner as they gave chase. I reached around for my pistol, aiming behind me as I ran. There were only two men. I ran around the corner of a house, into their front yard before quickly leaping onto the porch, against the wall, readying my gun, waiting for them to round the corner.

I was a good shot, a damn good shot, but considering how long I'd been shooting, it was no surprise. They ran past and I squeezed down on the trigger. One man fell. He didn't move. I didn't let myself feel anything, I wouldn't let myself think of them as people; they were just the monsters invading my home, who shot my innocent sister and mother. Nothing more. I had to be detached otherwise I'd never make. All I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry and never move again. I _had_ to be detached, but damnit, I wasn't that strong; I couldn't push it away.

Because now all I could think was that it made me just like them; it made me a monster too, because I'd just killed someone. I stared, open mouthed, at the body a second too long, sure it wasn't me who just did that. You never know what you're made of until you're actually put into a situation like this. My body took over, just reacting, fighting for survival, because that's what it had come down to. For me, this was about survival. What the hell was it about for them? Surely they didn't have to shoot me to survive. _Surely_, they didn't have to kill my sister and mother. And yet they had, and it made me so angry, so pissed off that I could put aside the guilt for now. But it was still hard to drag my eyes away from the lifeless body on the grass that was quickly becoming a bright shade of red.

It would cost me.

The other man spun around as I pulled myself out of it, training the gun on him, but he fired first and I felt the biting sting as metal tore through the flesh of my upper left arm. I yelped before clenching my teeth. Warmth trickled down my arm and I was thankful it wasn't my dominant arm as I shot him, the gun emitting a loud, resonating bang, again and again until he too crumpled to the ground.

I stumbled down the steps, slipping and only just catching myself on the unsteady railing. Holding my gun ready, I nudged the closet…body, oh God, but it didn't move, and neither did the other.

I didn't see anyone, so on a whim I grabbed their guns from their bodies, slinging them across my back with the duffle bag. They wouldn't be needing them anymore. Guilt twisted in my gut but I ignored it, focusing instead on the physical pain of my arm. It didn't look deep, at least not enough for stitches, but it was a long cut, a flesh wound. Red trails ran down along my skin, exactly like Nat's, down my arm until it mixed with the red already there.

I covered it with my good hand, wrapping my fingers around it as red seeped between them, making them slick. I was beginning to hate that colour. The old rag that I'd used to punch through the Eckert's door sat in my bag, and I grabbed it out, wrapping it awkwardly around my arm. It wasn't the most sanitary or hygienic thing, but the rag was cleaned recently, so it would have to do. I didn't think to grab out first aid kit. Stupid.

I took off again, feeling slightly lightheaded. I ran across the road, focusing down the street where loud voices were coming from, the words making no sense and I realized it was because it was another language. There was a deafening screech on my other side and I turned in time to see a ute barreling towards me. With everything going on, everything I was keeping my eyes open for, a car was the last thing I was watching for, the last thing on my mind.

It slammed into me, throwing me back and my head smacked against the asphalt.

And then everything was black.

…

**Review Replies:**

**Wow, I can't believe that first chapter generated so much interest already! So thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and favourited and alerted, it means a lot to me! At first, I wasn't sure if I would end up continuing it, but now I definitely will!**

**I hope to update about once a week, but sometimes it may take a little longer because I just started at university, and the work load is more than I'm used to at high school, so I have a lot of reading and study to do! But once a week is my plan.**

**KelseyBl****: **Thank you very much! Hopefully you liked the second chapter as well!

**Kait: **I'm so glad you 'LOVE' this already – I wasn't sure if I was going to continue this or not, so thank you! I thought the same thing in the movies, though I prefer the 2012 one (it helps that they have Josh Hutcherson in that version :D) Glad I could make that though become real!

**MaddieForeverLoving:** Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it so far! Haha, I plan to update again and again! Yeah, I loved both movies too, and Robert was my favourite in them as well!

**Beba78: **Seriously, it's one of the best?! Well, thank you, thank you very much, that's really nice of you to say (write)! Oh good, I was hoping Harper wouldn't be Mary Sue-ish :D I definitely plan on continuing it now.

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**Jocy723: **Thank you! So happy you liked it, and I hope you liked this second chapter too!


	3. Cabin In The Woods

Cabin In The Woods

I came to with a jolt, a grinding noise filling my ears and my head resting on something boney and not at all comfortable. I groaned and the hardness under my head shifted slightly. My head was all stuffy and I needed water badly. My chest ached every time I took in a breath, and there was a foul taste in my mouth.

"Harper?" a voice asked me gently, though it was strained and exhausted.

I recognized that voice. "Wha…" I cleared my throat, trying again. "Toni?" my tongue felt like a piece of sandpaper, rough in my mouth, my throat was raspy, my eyes felt puffy from crying and I knew my breath probably stunk from throwing up. My whole body ached and I was utterly exhausted. I hurt everywhere, no inch of me remained untouched by some sort of pain and I found I didn't even have the energy to move my head from her shoulder, as uncomfortable as it was.

"Yeah, how you feeling?"

I ignored the question because I felt too much to say. I felt more than she really wanted to know. I was all alone in this world now, my sister, my mum, my dad were all dead and their absence killed me. I'd never felt so terribly alone and guilty and in so much pain. I didn't even know you could feel all that at one time. "What happened?"

She shifted again, "We hit you, by accident," she clarified. Then I realized my body was bumping up and down on a seat which wasn't helping with the pain and there was another person beside me, driving. I squinted through the darkness, trying to see who it was without actually having to move my head. Night had fallen already? How long had I been out? How long had I been running before that? It felt like minutes but it must have been hours. My head throbbed as I finally recognized the person beside me.

"Danny?" he was Matt's friend. Oh, God, Mattie. Where was Mattie, Jed and his dad? They weren't in their house, but that didn't mean they weren't dead.

"Good to see your eyes open," he replied, his eyes shadowed even in the dark of the car, his voice exhausted. We'd all been through a lot. To hell and back. And we were all worse for wear.

I groaned, "Did you hit me?"

He winced, "I was hoping you wouldn't bring that up. You're lucky I braked enough so I wasn't going fast when I hit you. You banged your head pretty hard and Toni bandaged your arm, and we think you have bruised ribs," he told me. Then he cleared his throat. "Whose blood is that?"

"What are you talking about?" I frowned.

"Harper," Toni said beside me, her voice serious. "You're covered in blood."

I squeezed my eyes shut as they began to moisten, wishing it would block out the memories that I'd have for the rest of my life. Assuming I lived that long. "Nat's…" my voice cracked, "And mum's."

"What were you doing with so many guns?" She asked quietly.

"Heading for the woods," I sniffed, the tears leaking over now. "Where are we going?"

"Tom told us to head to his cabin. We're almost there." Tom? Thank God he was okay.

"Okay," I said, though I wasn't sure she understood me around the sobbing. My body shook violently, expending energy I didn't have, and my eyes threatened to seal shut even as they filled and spilled over.

I couldn't see through my eyes, they were blurry, and I couldn't stop thinking of their lifeless bodies. We bounced along until there was a bang followed by a clang. My head jerked up in surprise and I blinked, trying to see. I recognized the sound; bullet hitting metal, probably the bonnet of the car. Any higher and one of us could be dead. I couldn't deal with anymore death, there just wasn't enough space in my heart to deal with losing someone else.

Danny stopped quickly and I reached down to the bag at my feet, my fingers fumbling with the pistol sitting on top. Blindly, I climbed over Toni, getting out of the cab, and searching in the dark for something, anything to shoot, because hitting something that was threatening me and my friends was going to go down. It was all I had left to do. I wouldn't shoot through the glass of the car and make it a target too.

"Harper, wait, it's just – " Toni began, but I ignored her.

"Don't fucking mess with me right now," I snapped into the darkness just as my eyes adjusted, blinking rapidly to find a target and take it down before it took me down.

"Harper?"

I froze. "Oh my g – Mattie?"

"Harper," he said, louder this time and I could hear the thick relief in his voice as I finally saw through my tears.

"Mattie, you're okay! Jed! Oh, you're both here, you're both okay," I flung myself at Jed, who was closer and he enveloped me in his strong, muscular arms, and for the moment, for the first time all day, I felt some semblance of safety. Behind me, I heard Matt spot Danny and they embraced. I clutched his shirt in my fists, clinging to him as the tears welled up again. "Thank God," I muttered.

"Harper," he said. "Where's Natalie? Where's your mum?"

A loud, hysterical sob burst from my lips and I shook my head, smearing my tears on his shirt, "They-they're-," I couldn't say, couldn't make it real. His hand brushed down my hair as he shushed me. He knew. He understood.

I felt a hand on my back and I turned, grabbing for Mattie as he pulled me to him, tight. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. I held him so tightly I wondered if he could breathe. I couldn't. My ribs hurt, and I wondered how long it would take for it to go away. I ignored the searing that went through my body when pressure was put on my ribs because at the moment, checking to see if they were real, and hanging onto them for dear life was far more important that any pain I'd ever feel.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" I whispered back.

"I should have checked, I should have got them before we -," I cut him off.

"Don't," I warned. "It's not your fault. You didn't know. You couldn't have known," my throat killed as it tried to close, cutting me off.

I took deep, steadying breaths and the tears stopped flowing. I guess I ran out. And I pulled back from him, out of the safe, warm circle of his arms, pulling myself together. I had to be stronger.

I swiped at my eyes. "Holy crap, Harp, all that blood –."

"It's not mine. Well, some of it is."

"She does have a nasty wound on her arm, I'd say from a bullet," Toni said behind me. I glared at her; she was ratting me. She knew how protective Matt and Jed could get, and I didn't feel like being babied. Not now, not when it reminded me of mum and Nat, of family. "Bruised ribs and a lump on her head."

"Because you hit me with your car!" I shouted, defending myself. Jed closed in, trying to get a look at the cut under the bandage but I pulled away.

"Let me see," he commanded and I sighed, offering him my arm. He unwrapped the bandage carefully, his fingers probing slightly, "It's already starting to scab. Lucky," the last bit was directed at Danny who had climbed out of the drivers seat.

"Can we just go inside," I gestured at the cabin. "I'm so tired."

"Yeah, come on, I need to see those ribs," Jed said. "Everybody inside," he ordered, and they complied. Honestly, who'd question Jed? He was intimidating. Behind me I heard Toni ask about Erica. I didn't hear the reply. I grabbed the duffle bag from Danny, taking it inside and dumping it on the kitchen table. I set the two AK's down, and my pistol before pulling out part of the disassembled rifle and the handgun; both were in the way of getting to the clean clothes and soap.

Matt let out a dry chuckle as he looked at the guns, "You know, you sure do know how to make an entrance."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You know, 'Don't fucking mess with me right now'." This was probably his attempt to try to forget everything, because that's all anyone wanted to do; forget and pretend it wasn't real.

I frowned, "Did I say that?"

"Yeah," he attempted a grin, but it was too hard. His eyes kept flicking to my stained red shirt and shorts and skin. I must look like a monster.

"Huh."

"Lift up your shirt," Jed said, his voice the epitome of 'don't give me shit right now'.

I sighed, pulling it up to expose my stomach and rib area, stopping short of my bra. I winced as pain shot through my side and I forced myself to breathe normally through clenched teeth. Good lord it hurt. Jed ran his fingers over where my ribs were, probing the skin and checking for abnormalities. I guess if a rib was cracked or broken, I'd be in a whole lot more trouble.

"I'm so sorry Harper," Danny grimaced and I opened my eyes, not even remembering squeezing them shut.

"It's ok-OW!" I shouted as Jed pressed slightly on the painful area. "What the hell did you do that for?!"

"Well, the good thing is it seems to be only this one rib here," his fingers brushed much more gently over it this time, but I still winced. I have no idea how I managed to climb over Toni and pull out a gun when just breathing was hurting so bad. Must have been the adrenaline; it takes away pain after all.

"But there's bad news, right?" I asked. "Just tell it to me straight, doc," I said, attempting a joke; it's what I would have said under normal circumstances, but right now it felt all wrong. I looked down at the exposed skin and frowned. Molted shades of red were painted on my skin, only just visible from all the dry blood on my body that had soaked through my shirt. I was a mess.

"It'll take a couple weeks to heal properly," he said. I sighed. "Go clean yourself up so we can ice the area. That should've been done straight after it happened."

"Your right," I said, the look on my face making him frown. "Toni," I called. "Danny. Why didn't you think to stop and get some ice before savin' my life and gettin' us the hell outta dodge?" I asked sarcastically, throwing Jed a glare and pulling my shirt back down.

"That's not what I meant," he sighed, shaking his head.

I closed my eyes, pressing on the bridge of my nose. "I know. I'm sorry."

"It's okay Harper," he said quietly.

I looked around, seeing who else was with us. I recognized Pete, Robert, and Darryl from school, and another boy from my school, whose name I think was Eric, but there were two other people, a girl and a boy who looked related. They looked like they were having the worst day of their lives. Fear; it's what I saw on everyone's faces, everyone but Jed. We were afraid, and we didn't know what was going on. I swallowed thickly and headed for the bathroom to clean up.

I couldn't believe how much blood I had on me and I scrubbed at my skin, being only a little gentler in the bruised area, trying to get rid of it all. I wanted to throw up again. Even when I couldn't visibly see any more blood on me, I could feel it on my skin still. I pulled on a rusty coloured long-sleeved, fitted cotton top that buttoned at the front, khaki coloured cargo pants, and a dark green hoodie. The cold was sneaking up on me, and I slipped into my dad's old bomber jacket. It was way too big on me, and it didn't smell like him anymore, but it would keep me warm.

When I came back out, we were bunkering down for the night, it seemed. And my stomach let out a loud growl. I hadn't eaten all day and I certainly couldn't stomach any food even if I'd wanted to. Jed threw some bars at me before coming over and telling me to press a bag full of freezing cold water against my side. We didn't have any ice. Goose bumps rose on my skin and I shivered. Then he seemed to remember Toni telling him about the bump on my head, because he started running his fingers over my scalp. I sighed and tried not to get annoyed at him. He informed me that I did, indeed, have a nasty lump on my head. I could've told him that. And he went to get another bag of cold water.

"That's Greg and Julie," Matt pointed to the two I didn't know. Julie only had a thin jumper on, so I pulled out the duffle coat I had packed. I barely remember grabbing it, it was all just a blur. I handed it to her.

"Here."

She looked me up and down before shaking her head, "It won't fit me."

"It will," I nodded and she took it from me.

"Thanks." I went back and searched through what other clothing I packed. A pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, what I was wearing and the jacket Julie now had. At least I had a change of clothes. I'd be throwing my running gear out. Even if I could wash all the blood out, I'd never be able to wear it without thinking of them.

Jed handed me the next bag and I pressed it to my head, wincing. He handed me some ibuprofen and water. I swallowed them quickly. "Thanks."

Matt pointed to a sleeping bag set up next to his on the ground and I crawled into it. We were all haphazardly laying about; Roberts head was pointing towards my stomach, and Darryl's head was near mine.

"Lights out," Jed warned, and then we were immersed in darkness. I was so tired, so exhausted, I thought I'd fall asleep easily, right away. But being in the dark just made the memories and pain clearer. Being in silence just gave me the chance to dwell on it. I had to lay on the opposite side to my bruised rib, and I tried to ignore the pain and breathe normally. It wasn't hard; the emotional pain was overruling the physical.

And again I was crying. I couldn't believe I had so many tears in me. It didn't seem possible. My body quivered as I tried to stay quiet, to not wake anyone else up and alert them to my crying. My nose and eyes ran, and I had to sniff to stop it from dripping down my face. A tissue would have been better.

There was movement next to me, the sound of material sliding across material, and a hand tentatively rested on my arm. When I didn't move away, the long, rough fingers, which I remembered from the blackout, slid down my arm and entwined themselves with my fingers. I swallowed, hot tears sliding down my face. He squeezed, his thumb gently brushing along the top of my hand, rubbing calming circles.

I didn't know until then how much I needed that, to feel someone else's skin against mine. To know I wasn't all alone in this darkness.

Slowly, the tears dried up again, and the silent wracking sobs subsided and I drifted into an uneasy sleep. But I didn't let go of his fingers.

* * *

**Reviewer Replies:**

**Holy Crapola Batman! I was not expecting so much support from you guys; it's so touching! Seriously you guys, I'm like floating on air here! Thank you!**

**bookcrazy24****: **Yay! I'm so glad you thought Harper was awesome in the previous chapter and that you thought my story was interesting! Hopefully, you thought she was awesome in this chapter as well ;P

**CyanMaterialGirl****: **Great! It's so encouraging to know that you loved it and were waiting for the next chapter, so thank you!

**hellraiserphoenix****: **Hopefully, this chapter was updated fast enough and is to your liking as well ;D Thanks so much for reviewing!

**dreamer4life1011****: **Oh, wow, thank you so much! I'm so glad you like my writing and my story! It makes me ridiculously happy to know that someone likes the way I write, especially when half the time I read over it again and think it sucks!

**Dawn: **Sooo happy you think so! Hope you like this chapter too :D

**Leila Davis: **So glad you 'LOVE' this story! Haha, yeah, I wanted her to retain some sort of feminine persona while also really being into camping/hiking and being a kick-ass shooter :D She had to be a fighter, for sure. Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Beba78: **Oh, my God, really? On the edge of your seat? Wow, I'm so happy my writing could elicit that kind of response! I really wanted people to feel for Harper, and to want to know what happens next to her, so hopefully the upcoming chapters can keep you hooked! So glad you liked that chapter, and hopefully you liked this one too and that it wasn't too anticlimactic! :D

**patcoghlan****: **Thank you so much! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait :D

**kaitlyn. ****: **Aw, thank you! Most of the time I really doubt that my writing sounds good or works well, or if it even makes sense, so seriously, you made my day, thank you so much for that! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter too and that it flowed just as well :D

**smile654: **I'm glad you liked it! I plan to keep writing so long as people keep wanting to read it (even if they didn't, I'd probably still post it for myself, haha ;P ).

**Guest: **It's a great thing to know that people want to read more of what you write, so I'm hoping this pleased you :D

**Wolfluver67: **Yes, I was so disappointed when I saw how small this archive was that I went and wrote this little story to add to it, which I'm ecstatic to find out is enjoyed by a lot of people, yourself included! I'm pleased as punch (I never really understood that saying, but I like the way it sounds) that you are loving my story so much already, thank you so much!

**iNevermore: **Thank you!

**KelseyBl: **Thank you! Yeah, her survival instincts her dad taught her kicked in when she went into shock. Thank you, I'm delighted that you thought it was more realistic! I didn't think anyone would be able to just move on from seeing a dead body, especially one of a loved one, but there was this part of her that reacted for her; the part her dad ingrained in her, a part that didn't have to think, just do, just react. She's a tough cookie :D So, hopefully you liked this 3rd chapter too!


	4. Just Because it Has Four Walls

Just Because It Has Four Walls Doesn't Mean It's Safe

"Wake up," did indeed wake me up, and the command was punctuated by a soft shake. I cracked my eyes open slightly, before squeezing them shut again, blocking out the bright morning light. It was too bright when I felt so dark.

"What?" I asked groggily, grumpy at being woken up. I just wanted sleep. I just didn't want to wake up.

"Wake up," Mattie insisted.

"You wake up," I retorted, getting grumpier by the second.

"I am awake," he replied.

"No you're not," I snapped. It made no sense. I sighed and tried to open my eyes again. I saw Mattie's worried expression as he leaned over me. Around me I heard shuffling and yawning as people started to move. "What's wrong?" I automatically asked.

"You slept through Jed talking. Pete and Eric took off with our food."

"What?" I frowned, scrunching up my face as I tried to wrap my head around what he was saying.

"You have to take everything to the truck, and then take the truck into the woods. You'll know a good spot. Keep your eyes open; Pete knows where we are," Mattie informed me.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, not missing how he said 'you' and not 'we'.

"I'm going with Jed," he said simply.

"Then I'm going too," I said adamantly, I rolled onto my back, finally working up enough energy to move. Pain shot through my chest and I winced. Yeah, I forgot about that.

Something twitched in my hand and I realized I was still gripping Robert's fingers. He hadn't moved his hand from mine, even though he must have been uncomfortable. I glanced at him, to see him patiently waiting for me to let go, not hurrying me. I felt both grateful and guilty. I gave another squeeze; a 'thank you' squeeze and his eyes flicked up to Matt's. Matt gave him a long look before turning back to me. I let go of his hand.

"No, you need to stay with them. You need to help them," he said, getting up.

"Mattie," my voice went high, squeaky and I felt myself verging on hysteria. He heard it too. Everyone did. I cleared my throat, trying again. This time, my voice was thick with tension and unshed tears and I hated how weak it made me sound. "Mattie, you and Jed are the only family I have left. You can't leave me," I blinked against the liquid forming in the corners of my eyes. How could one person have so much in them?

He stared at me, unsure what to do, clearly torn. "We're coming back. Don't w - ."

"Don't you dare tell me not to worry," I warned him, breathing deeply. "Don't you dare."

He looked over at Danny, Darryl and Robert who were just standing there, watching, despite our new found urgency. "Look after her," Matt said.

"Of course," Robert and Danny said at the same time I said, "I can take care of myself."

He knew it, I knew it. It may have been two years since I practiced any of the tricks and moves dad had taught me, but I still remembered them. I knew enough to be able to get away.

And then he turned and left, running to catch up with Jed, I guessed. I clenched my jaw, breathing deeply before pulling myself together and packing everything up. I tucked my pistol into my belt, shoving everything back into my bag. Lucky I grabbed some food from home and didn't put it on the table last night where all the other food was. I shared out the dried fruit bits and oatmeal whole grain crackers as we packed, running about and grabbing anything useful.

I made several trips back and forth between the cabin and the truck. When we were sure we'd grabbed every sleeping bag, parka, food, toiletries, first aid kit, weapon and filled bottles with water, we piled it all into the truck.

"I'll drive," I said, grabbing the keys from Danny, who climbed in the front with Toni. I drove out to a small clearing not far from the cabin. I'd found it when I was younger and my family had been invited by the Eckert's up to the cabin with them for a week. The clearing wasn't big, but it was far enough away from the cabin, and on a bizarre route that I considered it a safe spot.

We got out, and headed back to Robert, Julie, Greg and Darryl, but didn't get far as they ran at us, panicked and fearful.

"They're here," was all Darryl said, but we understood.

"We have to get to Jed and Matt before they get back and stumble on them," I said, beginning to walk parallel to the perimeter of the clearing around the cabin, staying far enough in so as not to be spotted, as I headed for the direction Jed and Matt would be coming back from.

We began to run, and Danny and Darryl went in front as we followed single file between trees. It was an unspoken agreement that no one would speak unless absolutely necessary.

"Hey, hey, hey," Danny said, his voice low and I tried to see over his and Darryl's height. They came to a stop, but I barreled on, slamming into Jed, hugging him, then Mattie. They _were_ all I had left, and I had to keep them, hold onto them so I didn't lose them too. "They found us." We were all out of breath, as we headed closer to the cabin, to see what was going on. A large tree had fallen recently, and we crouched down behind it, keeping low.

An Asian man in army garb was walking down the steps of the cabin. I froze, barely moving, hardly daring to breathe. There were two large vehicles, and at least ten men with guns. AK's. And then there was Pete.

"That bastard!" I hissed angrily. "That shithead!"

"Shh," Jed said from around the other side of Mattie. For the first time in 24 hours I felt something other than pain; I felt anger. Anger easily blotted out the pain in my ribs and arm and head. I was furious with Pete, and if I got him alone, I wasn't sure I'd be able to restrain myself from throttling him.

I strained my ears to hear what they were saying. The cabin was in the middle of a clearing, so their voices echoed slightly and only just carried to us. If my hearing had been slightly worse, I wouldn't have been able to hear anything.

"There's no one here," the Asian man, clearly in command said, striding towards Pete who was being held by another Asian man.

"I swear, this is where they were," he replied, his voice freaked out. Good.

"Son of a bitch," Jed growled, looking through a pair of binoculars I didn't know he had. There was talking in a different language, then a uniformed man pulled Darryl's dad, the mayor, out of one of the vehicles.

"Holy shit, Darryl, that's your dad!" Mattie said.

"What? Let me see," Darryl said, reaching around me to grab the binoculars from him. Jed shushed them. And then Tom Eckert was pulled from the other vehicle.

"Jesus Christ," Mattie said. My heart beat sped up. I'd known Tom my whole life; he was kind and understanding. I feared for him. I feared for all of us.

The leader shoved a microphone into Darryl's dad's hand. "Boys," he began. I guess he didn't know that Toni, Julie and I were out here too. Why wouldn't the sheriff, Tom, share that with the mayor? And then it hit me; they weren't on the same side, they couldn't be heading for the same thing. They had different means to meet their ends. "It's Mayor Jenkens. Capitan Cho here is the acting prefect of this district. Now he says you seriously injured some of his men."

I made a guttural noise in the back of my throat. Oh, we injured some of his men, did we? Huh, well they killed some of ours. It just made me angrier.

"And he's given me his word if you turn yourselves in, no one's going to be hurt, okay?"

"Right," I snarled sarcastically, as quietly as I could, "Because we should believe the guy who – "

"Shh, Harp," Jed muttered.

"No, you know what?" I asked, words falling out before I could stop them, anger heating them until they were too hot to be held back. "This is bullshit. He commanded an _army_ to _invade_ our town!"

"Harper," Jed said warningly.

"No," I replied to his warning, my voice getting louder. "They invaded; shot my sister, my mum, and a whole lot of other people and – "

"Shut up," Toni hissed, her eyes wide and worried as they flicked between me and the clearing.

"Don't tell me what to do! Can't you see what's going on here?" I asked. My fingers reached of their own accord for the pistol in the waistband of my shorts, my calf muscles tensing, preparing for me to swing into action. My body was readying for what my mind hadn't even realized I wanted to do yet. "Someone needs to take this Cho guy out. It's his fault!"

I shuffled back slightly, giving myself some space to be able to get up without being held back, "I want to. I have to. It's his fault!"

"Don't let her – " Jed began, shuffling to try to get to me, but he wouldn't be fast enough. All I had to do was run out there and shoot him, take him down, end it, maybe then he'll realize he shouldn't have messed with my family.

But before I could fully straighten up, I was tackled to the ground, a weight landing on me and shoving me into the earth, my head slamming into the dirt with a muffled thump, in the same spot where I hit the road. I clamped my jaw shut to keep from screaming out, the landing worsening the pain in my ribs, the weight putting an ungodly amount of pressure on it. I felt like I was on fire, the pain so excruciating, worse than when I dislocated my shoulder the first time I shot a rifle and was unprepared for the kickback.

The weight quickly lifted off my chest, but my arms and legs were still being pressed down. I looked up to see Robert, looking determined and guilty and panicked. I blinked back the tears of pain forming at the corners of my eyes and tried to breathe normally, but it hurt. God, it hurt when my chest expanded full of oxygen, so much I tried to hold my breath to avoid breathing.

The next second, Jed was beside me, glaring down at me, his voice harsh, "What did you think you were going to achieve? Huh? You kill him, someone else will just replace him. You kill him, you're dead too, for no reason. You think that's what your mother or father or sister would want? Do you?"

This time, the tears I was blinking back weren't just from the pain, "Don't!"

"You kill him, you shoot him, you get yourself spotted, then you give away our position and you get us shot too!"

In the clearing, the mayor was still talking. I stared at Jed and realized he was right. I let my anger and want for revenge twist my perspective, and confuse my logic because I hated him, and what he was doing and I wanted him to pay. I hated when Jed was right. Because I sure as hell wanted to make him hurt. It surprised me just how much.

"I just – I just wanted to hurt him, like he hurt my – " I broke off, clearing my throat.

"I know, Harp," he said.

"Boys?" Mayor Jenkins called. We didn't move. We didn't know what to do. "Darryl? Son? We'd like you to come home."

Darryl slowly lowered the binoculars, his breathing deep and heavy as he looked at us then at the clearing. "Guys, shouldn't we do as he says?"

"Jed, what do we do?" Mattie asked lowly.

"We don't move," he replied levelly, keeping his eyes locked on mine.

"But if my dad trusts this - ,"

Jed cut him off, "Shut up. Everybody stay still."

The microphone was handed over to the sheriff.

"Boys, if you're out there, if you can hear me, listen up," he commanded. I could practically feel Jed tense. He moved back to his previous position, to have a clear, unobstructed view of his dad in the clearing. Robert moved back too, seeing as I was no longer trying to get to the clearing. I lay there a moment longer, gathering enough strength to sit up and move and by the time I made it to the fallen tree, I was panting.

"It's a tough situation all the way 'round. A lot of tough choices. I love you both. I hope you know that." He was silent a moment, and I knew he was building to something. More tears gathered in my eyes. "What I'm going to ask you to do will be very difficult. But I want you boys to do what I would do. I want you to go to war, and stop this piece of shit," his arm extended out to point at Capitan Cho. "Or die trying."

Tears silently fell down my face and not just from the pain – I found if I didn't move, it hurt a lot less. I knew what was coming. You couldn't say something like that, and just expect a slap on the wrist. Tom Eckert knew that too. He was braver than I thought, maybe as brave as my dad.

Cho reached into his belt, drew out a gun and shot Tom Eckert in the head.

"No!" Mattie said, lunging forward. Jed grabbed him and I grabbed onto his hand, holding it so tight, clasping it between mine. It was ironic that a moment ago, I wanted to charge into the clearing and now I was holding someone else back to stop them from doing the same thing. I wanted to still, but Jed was right, and it was different now; if Mattie went out there, he'd end up dead too, and I wouldn't let that happen. I couldn't.

"Oh my God," I whispered.

"No! No! No!" Mattie cried.

"Mattie," Jed said, his eyes squinting as he pulled him to his chest, holding him still, and wrapping a hand around his mouth to stop him from yelling. "Shh." I saw their tears, and I brought his hand up, holding it against my cheek, ducking low. My heart broke for them, because I knew what they were feeling. I could still feel it.

They waited a minute, before leaving, Cho commanding them to torch the cabin down. A few men fired off a few rounds. And all the while Tom Eckert's body lay still in the grass. I wanted to go to it, and bury him, give him a proper burial, but as they were leaving they took the body with him. Darryl's dad probably insisted.

I don't know how, but we made it back to the truck. Nobody said anything as we piled in. I got in the front, and I was the first person to say anything. "I know a place. It's an old abandoned mine shaft. It's downhill, to the north. I'll tell you when we're close." Jed nodded.

We bumped along, the ground not at all ideal for driving on, and then we came to a ditch, and promptly got stuck. Nobody said anything as we piled out to push. The ground was damp and muddy, the tires sunk in good. We heaved against it as Jed revved the engine, wheels spinning, trying to find a hold. Mud flung up, narrowly missing me. Despite the cold mountain air, I began to sweat, my muscles straining before stopping. My ribs hurt and I cursed myself for not paying attention for cars. It wasn't a good time to be injured. I wondered how much more I could put my body through before I just dropped.

The unmistakable sound of a chopper could slowly be heard over the engine, and the noise was enough to incite fear. We dived for the side, my hip jarring against Robert's stomach as the noise got louder. Jed got out, aiming the rifle, searching for it.

"Sorry," I whispered.

"It's fine," he said just as quietly.

The sound got further away and we straightened up. "They're going to find us," Julie said. Fear. That's all there was.

"Guys, what are we even doing up here?" Robert asked, staring after where the chopper sound was coming from. "We should just go back. Matt, I'm sorry, but my parents are still down there, and Harper needs medical attention."

"I'm fine," I said automatically. There was no way I was going back down there.

"I'm worried something's going to happen to my dad," Darryl said. "Maybe he can help us."

"He can't help us Darryl," Mattie said. His voice conveyed all his pain and hurt and anger. "He's helping them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Darryl asked, defensively.

"It _means_ he's _helping_ them. You saw him, he just stood there," Mattie said.

"What else was he supposed to do?" Robert replied. It was a fair question. What was the mayor, working to make sure less people got hurt, supposed to do when a guy had a gun to his head?

"Alright," Jed broke in, his voice much more composed then Mattie's, though it was rougher than it usually was. "Our dad made a choice. And Darryl's dad has to make one too, we all do."

Robert stood up, followed by Darryl as they grabbed a back pack each, "We're going home," Robert said.

"Robert," Toni began, but he just kept walking. "Robert, your parents aren't down there." My head whipped up to stare at her, mouth open. Oh, God. "I saw it. I didn't know how to tell you."

He just stared at her for a moment and then I saw his eyes pool with liquid, his face distraught with pain and grief. My mind flashed back to last night and I lunged up, walking forward, brushing past Toni and stopping in front of him. I grasped his hand in mine, squeezing tight and rubbing those comforting circles on his hand like he did to me. No one should be alone when they're hurting. No one should feel all alone like that.

I don't know who moved forward first, but either way the end product was the same as we reached for each other, holding on tight. He was much taller than me, bigger than me, so I had to go up on my tippy-toes to be able to reach better. My hands came up, running through the hair at the nape of his neck, and he buried his face in the side of my neck, in my hair, his arms wrapping around my waist, pulling so tight I wasn't sure if I was breathing, and I didn't complain about the pressure it was putting on my ribs. I stood there, my eyes wet, stroking his hair. I could feel a wet warmth on my neck and shoulder, but it didn't bother me. Sometimes we needed skin to skin contact, needed it more than anything else.

Behind me, Julie began talking, and Robert fisted my jacket in his hands. I wouldn't let go until he was ready. He knew that. "We can't go home. We can't keep running. What are we supposed to do?" she asked.

Jed was the only one with an answer. "I'm going to fight. I'm going to fight. Now, this is easier for me because I'm used to it. The rest of you are going to have a tougher choice. And look, I don't want to sell it to you, it's too ugly for that."

Robert pulled back, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his hoodie. I stepped beside him to turn to face Jed, but I reached down and entwined my fingers with his, rubbing those soothing circles. He squeezed tight.

"And it's ugly and it's hard, but when you're fighting in your own backyard, you're fighting for your family… it all hurts a little less and makes a little more sense. And for them, this is just some _place_, but for us…this is our home." I'd never been so sure that Jed was a leader. It was so obvious from the way he took charge and the way he spoke, like he was commanding his troops into battle, lifting their morale. Which, I guess he was now. He looked around at us levelly.

"Obviously we don't stand a chance against these guys in a straight up fight. If you look at the Viet Cong, the Mujahedeen, or even the Minutemen, it's clear even the tiniest flea can drive a big dog crazy. So the first thing we have to do is learn how to work together. Become a unit, and that's going to take some time. It doesn't take much to pull a trigger, but keeping your shit together in a fire fight is a whole different story. So we're going to have to evolve, re-wire our reflexes, learn new skills and adapt to new ones. There's nearly half a million faces down there, and they can't track them all. So we'll find people we can trust, friends with their ears to the ground that can help us find the things we need to fight back. We'll watch what they do, study their tactics, their routines, the more we know, the easier it will be to hurt them. But we'll need to be smart, and we'll need to be patient. We'll hit them on our terms, when we're _good_ and _ready_." I couldn't move, but it seemed no one else could either. His speech called to me, made me want to fight.

He finished it with; "We inherited our freedom. Now it's up to all of us to fight for it."

For a moment, no one said anything. And then I found my voice, "I've had enough of just sitting by and _letting_ them take over our town." There were nods of consent, and a few mumbled 'yeahs'. "No one's going to do this for us, and they certainly don't seem to be moving on anytime soon; it's time we demanded that they did."

Jed met my eyes, taking me in, my hardened expression, the anger in my eyes, and my fingers threaded with Robert's. The skin between his eyebrows puckered slightly, like he had a long list of things he wanted to say to me, but he didn't, turning back to everyone else, seeing the agreement on their faces. I knew that discussion would be coming later though.

A grim smile twisted my lips. "They made the first move, and now it's our turn."

* * *

**Reviewer Replies:**

**Seriously guys, you continue to astound me! Thank you so so so much for the support, it means so much!**

**Bookcrazy24: **Thank you! Glad you enjoyed this chapter! Yeah, I want Harper to be a fighter, which definitely helps in this kind of situation, but also because if somebody does something she doesn't like/agree with, then she's not the kind of person who'll just let it happen. She has to act. Even if she is injured ;P So hopefully, that's coming across, (and I think from your review it is!) and I'm so glad you like Harper – she's the most badass character I've ever written :D Thank you

**Hellraiserphoenix: **Thank you so much! I love that you loved this chapter and obviously want to keep reading, so thank you for taking an interest in Harper :D

**Maryssamcfadden: **Yay, thank you! It's a serious ego-booster to know that you loved the previous chapter and want to keep reading about Harper, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much!

**Kelly1432: **'One of the best fics you've read on here so far'? Seriously? Wow, thank you so much! My self-worth as a writer just went through the roof ;P Seriously though, it means a lot to me, so thank you so much!

**iNevermore: **Thank you! I wanted to have Harper's story run parallel to the movie, but have it more centered on her and her involvement. Unfortunately, in this chapter I felt the need to have a lot of the dialogue in, particularly Tom and Jed's speeches because they were so instrumental and driving in the movie that I felt they needed to stay in, which hopefully wasn't too tedious to read! I'm glad you like the pace I've set for Harper and Robert so far – due to the whole World War III thing, I thought it probably wasn't the most ideal environment for love to bloom quickly. At the moment, Harper is sort of feeling platonic towards Robert; like they have a connection because they're going through the same thing and they've been thrust into this situation, and Harper feels the need to be there for him in the way he was for her. Anyway, now that I've rambled about them long enough, my point was that I'm glad you think their romance is believable, and hopefully it will remain believable. Thanks so much! Haha, I love the word 'kudos'!

**KelseyBl: **Thank you for always telling me exactly what it is you like about the chapter – it means I can add more of that in! Thanks so much for reviewing again! Haha, yeah, no one should mess with her, especially when she was getting out of that truck! Yay! I'm glad you like the bits between Harper and Robert and that you think they're adorable! I feel like such a sap when I write it! I think that Matt and Jed are so protective because she's so kick ass; she's more likely to get herself into a tricky situation than if she was timid and frightened easily, so they're definitely watching her closely :D Thank you so much – it's fantastic to know that two people think my writing flows really well! Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed this chapter too, even though it took longer to update and contains a lot of already known dialogue. In regards to your request: I'll have to see where it takes me ;P I know, I really hated that bit in the movie too, so I'm not sure if I want to keep it in or not, so I haven't even made up my mind yet. But I'll definitely take your request into consideration :D Thanks so much again!

**Lynz5308: **Thank you so much! Oh man, now I feel terrible if you've been checking every day and it hasn't been posted yet! (Though secretly pleased that you like it enough to check every day :D ). Thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

** asphodel . cato: **Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it, but what were you confused about? That way I can clear it up so no one else gets confused. That's certainly not what I want! :D

**Iste: **Oh, wow, thank you so much! I'm glad you like it! I love your character Chloe as well! :D Thank you for reviewing!

**LSU lovePurple liveGold:** Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it! I hope you like this chapter as well.

**Theonlyredhead: **Aw, thank you! I agree: Red Dawn is an awesome movie! (The fact that Josh Hutcherson's in it also helps as well ;P) Thanks!

**Wolverines: **Haha, thank you for reviewing each chapter! Chapter 1: I'm glad you enjoyed the beginning – that was the hardest part for me to write, how to begin it! Chapter 2: Haha, thank you! So pleased you thought it was great! Chapter 3: Thanks so much again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! :D

**Meganlloyd16: **Thank you so much, I'm really happy you like it! Thanks for taking the time to review – it means a lot to me! I'm hoping you liked this chapter too!

**Aaannnddd, I think that's everyone, however, if I did miss someone, I will understand if you want to send me an abusive PM about why you didn't get a message. I'd totally understand. I'd deserve it!**

**Happy Easter!**


	5. On Our Own, But Not Alone

On Our Own, But Not Alone

We went back to pushing the truck, heaving against the unbending metal frame. I didn't ask if Robert was okay; it was a stupid question and I already knew that he wasn't but that he would be. Instead, I squeezed his fingers again to let him know I was here, before letting his hand go to start pushing.

Jed jumped back out of the truck and gestured his head at me. "You're the lightest. Get in," he ordered, and I did as he said, reading behind his words as well; I was the lightest, the smallest, which meant I had the least amount of muscle on me, making me the weakest too. Running most mornings and having done a lot of hiking through these woods meant I had toned but not necessarily muscled legs, suited for endurance; I could walk or run for a fairly long time, and my arms were used to the weight of the hunting rifle. Any fighting techniques dad taught me were designed for people to fight off a bigger and stronger attacker without needing to be super strong. It was about using their weight, height and strength against them. So no, I certainly wasn't Supergirl.

I climbed up, holding down the clutch and revving the engine before slowly letting it out. With Jed's added strength, which really was a lot, and a significantly lighter person behind the wheel, it finally began to shift forward, and finally finding a hold on less slippery mud. And then we were out of the ditch, and I hopped back out.

We were all grinning in relief, and we had quite a bit of mud on us. "Everybody in."

Danny and Toni jumped in the front, so I went to clamber up in the back as well. I'd done plenty of hiking; going over steep hills and rocky outcrops, and I enjoyed rock climbing as well, but it was still kind of awkward to get into the tray at the back. I had to brace my foot on the wheel and pull myself up, and just as I was gathering myself, a hand shot into my field of vision. I looked up, following the hand to Robert's face.

I grasped it and he yanked. I underestimated his strength, and I think he over estimated my weight (which wasn't very flattering, at all), because to stop my shin from bashing into the side of the car, and possibly breaking, I had to quickly jump to the top edge of the tray which, overestimating my jump, made me slip and fall right onto him.

We toppled back, bringing Julie and Mattie down with us. Luckily for me, I landed on a relatively soft surface: Robert. Robert wasn't so lucky, but then again, he did land on some bags; I wasn't sure what was in those bags though.

"Sorry," Robert grunted, blinking up at the sky. I pushed myself up, surveying us before bursting into laughter. Julie and Matt were sprawled on either side of us, and Greg and Darryl were laughing as they looked at us too. Julie shot her brother a glare, telling him, quite expressively, to shut up.

"It's okay." I said.

"No it's not," Mattie groaned, before punching Robert in the arm. "Next time, let her do it herself."

"Hey, at least he helped!" I defended, shoving at him.

"Are you saying you needed help?" he quipped, and I admitted he got me.

"No," I said stubbornly. I didn't; I would have gotten up, I just didn't object to some help, but I certainly didn't need it.

"But I wanted to help," Robert muttered, causing Matt to send him a death glare. I laughed again, as the engine revved to life and we started moving.

"Mattie, get over it," I said loftily. I smiled, enjoying this little bit of playfulness we were allotted at a time like this. Surprisingly, we had a lot of stuff in the ute; luckily we grabbed it all before they torched the place.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the compass and map I'd put there earlier. I knew where the mining shaft was, and I judged where we were when I spotted the trickling stream that indicated we were close. I consulted the compass before I climbed over the stuff, and Mattie, to get to the back window.

"Go east, and it'll be on your right up over the incline, about two miles along. It might be hard to spot," I informed Jed, and he did as I said.

It wasn't long before we spotted it and Jed pulled to a stop. I jumped down, walking towards the entrance which was barred by a metal poled gate, locked in place by a chain and large, old style padlock. It hadn't been disturbed in years. I gave it a yank, but it remained still, so I pulled out the pistol and aimed for the padlock, putting a hole in the middle of it and effectively making it useless. The shot echoed down the shaft loudly, and the chain slid down the bars, making clanging sounds and echoing as well.

I turned around to see Toni and Darryl looking at me with raised eyebrows and are-you-serious expressions. "What else was I supposed to do? Shake it?" They didn't reply.

"Amazing," Robert breathed, shaking his head in something akin to wonder and awe. His eyes were shadowed, and I could read the pain he was trying to push away. He'd need that pain, use it, when it came down to a fight.

"I know," I grinned. "I don't even know how long it's been here for."

A heartbeat later, "What?"

I frowned, "What?" we both looked at each other, confused.

"What were you talking about?" he asked, frowning now as well.

"The mine, what else? Wait, what were you talking about?"

"Uh…the mine. I guess I must have misheard you," he said, shifting his feet uncomfortably and rubbing the back of his neck. Toni let out a derisive snort and I shrugged, turning back to the mine, and going to head in.

"Wait," Jed called. He grabbed a flashlight. "I'll check it out first."

I rolled my eyes and muttered that I could do it just fine. He ignored me. Of course. When he didn't yell or scream, I took it as a good sign and started to head in as well. The others followed suit.

It was dark, but there was enough light from the entrance, which was big enough, to be able to see for a while. A railway track went straight down the middle, but along the way were various pockets to the side, a semi-circle like shape of space about three or four meters in diameter. These extra spaces seemed to have holes at the top of the shaft, because dots of light managed to filter down, giving a little extra light. There were cobwebs everywhere and I shuddered.

Julie seemed to be thinking the same thing, "I hate spiders," she whispered, though her voice amplified slightly in the enclosed space.

"Me too, but it's the only shelter we've got," I whispered back.

When I turned back around, Jed was suddenly right there in front of me, an amused smile on his face, holding out a hand to me. Inside his hand was a medium sized, very hairy spider. It was so unexpected I screamed.

"Whoa, you've got a set of lungs on you," Danny said when I stopped myself, uncovering his ears. The others were doing the same thing and Jed was grinning, trying to suppress a laugh.

"Dammit Jed, don't do that!" I punched his chest, which really was a mistake on my part because all I achieved was a sore hand. He let the spider go and I boldly didn't move as it scuttled towards me, then past me.

"What? I can't hear you, I think I've gone deaf," he chuckled drily, rolling his eyes. He always found it amusing that I had no problems with snakes or any other kinds of bugs, but I hated spiders, even the tiny ones. I scowled at him.

"Serves you right for scaring the crap out of me," I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly, not caring if I hurt his eardrums.

"I didn't mean to," he insisted, walking past me and I spun around, kicking him in the butt and sending him flying forward a step. In one swift motion he twisted and grabbed me, hoisting me over his shoulder, carrying me out of the shaft. His hard shoulder jabbed into my stomach, still sore from being hit by a car, even if the car wasn't going so fast when it did hit me. He didn't stop at the entrance though, continuing downhill and to the left slightly and I suddenly knew where we were going.

I pounded on his back with my fists, "No, no! Jed, I'm sorry! Put me down! I don't want to go in the river!" he ignored me and I looked over at the rest of them, who were reluctantly beginning to smile as they followed us. I sent them a pleading look, "Help!"

It felt wrong that deep down, I was kind of having fun, that Jed could make me feel better. My mum and sister just died; there was no way I should feel anything other than sadness or guilt or a sense of overwhelming depression. I'd just watched Tom Eckert get shot in the head and we'd agreed to do something dangerous; fight back. In the space of a couple hours, we'd gone from being a bunch of frightened kids to stronger people, because we had to be stronger now. We had to. Or we'd never survive. We had to push away at the grief threatening to eat us up and store it, hold onto it until it was time to take it all out on the people responsible for it in the first place.

All of us were linked now by our situations, by tragedy, by this invasion and death, and we had to pull together, lean on each other because we needed each other. If we let ourselves slide into depression and sadness, I don't know if we'd be able to find our way back out, with or without help. We were a team now, and we didn't have much time to bond as a group before we had to start on the offence. The next week, I knew, would be crucial. If we let ourselves be consumed by our grief, it'd be harder to bond, to work together. I couldn't trust someone to have my back if they were focused on something else.

So I knew Jed was trying to help, to take our minds off what has happened, to help us see that we were in this together. No man (or woman) left behind. We were about to thrust into a situation where we'd have to trust the person next to us. And the sooner they realized how serious this shit was about to get, the better. Starting now, we couldn't be sad, frightened kids anymore. We had to be warriors.

But that didn't mean I _wanted_ to go in the river.

"Sorry, but I'm not going up against Jed," Danny said, like he was holding back a tentative smile, like he felt he shouldn't smile either, and I glared at him.

"Fine," I snapped. "I'll do it myself."

How the hell was I supposed to do that?

I was over his right shoulder, so I reached around to my back with my left hand to where his hand held my back down. I grabbed onto his thumb and pulled because it's the weakest part, and managed to get him to release his hold there. If I kept pulling, I'd probably break his thumb, because of the angle I was pulling at.

I pushed myself off his shoulder, but he grabbed my legs with his other hand, holding them against him just above the back of my knees. I parted my legs, wrapping them around his waist, and my left leg slid free of his grasp so it was like his arm was a seat under my butt, and he stopped moving to get a better hold, but he only had one free hand, because I was still holding his thumb at an odd angle. Then I left myself fall back, my legs sliding out of his grasp as I did a hand stand with only one hand (if I let go of his thumb, he'd be able to stop me easily), before kicking him in the chest, not hard, with my left leg again to completely disentangle my right leg from the odd circle he was making with his arm, trying to hold onto me.

For a second I was doing a handstand, then I fell forward, stopping myself by planting my feet on the ground, flinging my hair back and looking up at him from my crouched position on the ground. He reached for me, but I dived to the side, rolling twice before springing back up and running a couple steps away from him.

We looked at each other. His eyebrows were raised in incredulousness. "I actually have no idea how I did that."

He chuckled (he rarely actually _laughed_) and behind him Julie spoke up, "That was amazing."

"Yeah, I know," I breathed, surprised at myself too. "I just amazed myself." I stomped past Jed when he made no move to capture me again, "Oh, and thanks so much for the help, guys," I said sarcastically.

"Alright, let's get set up before we start to lose light. Tomorrow we start training," Jed informed us.

"I want Harper to train me," Julie muttered and I grinned at her.

"I nominate Danny to get rid of all the cobwebs," I shouted, payback for abandoning me.

"What!" he said and I smirked evilly when the motion was seconded and third-ed.

"Harp," Jed said, grabbing my arm to stop me from entering into the shaft with the rest of them. "Wait a minute."

"What?" I quizzed, confused. He had a frown marring his handsome face and I guessed this would be what he wanted to say to me before.

"I don't want you getting involved in this. It's not safe," he said simply, no beating around the bush, no pleasantries; that wasn't how he operated. He was direct and to the point, most certainly not a rambler. I liked that about him, because I had a tendency to ramble when I was nervous or working up to something I'd been thinking about for a while.

"What?" I deadpanned. It was kind of threatening.

"You heard me," he replied.

"No," I shook my head rapidly, making the world wobble. "No way."

He ignored me, "If I could, I'd send you somewhere else."

I gaped at him, "Where else am I supposed to go? My whole families dead!" I hissed at him vehemently. "You and Mattie _are all I have left_!"

"You know I consider you my sister, which is why I'm not letting you get involved."

"But you're letting Mattie get involved! It's because he's a boy, right?" I asked waspishly.

"Yes," he said truthfully. "And because you're only sixteen. And my little sister, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you. This is _war_," he emphasized, like saying it that way would make me think of this situation differently. "And I won't be able to protect you all the time."

"I can handle myself. Come on Jed, you need me. I know these woods better than anyone, you know that, and I have more weapons training and fighting skills than Toni and Julie, and you're letting _them_ fight! Hell, I know more than Mattie and Danny and the rest of them too!"

"I'll protect her," Robert said, making me jump. I didn't even know he'd come back out of the cave. How long had he been standing there for? I remembered the echo, so it was probably safe to say everyone had heard our discussion.

Jed lunged at him, pinning him to the ground, not budging as Robert attempted to break free of his grasp. "Jed!" I shouted at him, not at all sure what the hell was going on. "Let him go!" He pulled his hand back, closing it and forming a fist, and bringing it down to Roberts face, "Jed, stop!" an inch from his cheek, Jed stopped.

"How can you expect to protect her when you can't even protect yourself?" Jed asked, irritated. "If I had a gun, you'd be dead, and so would she. I bet you don't know the first thing about fighting!" Jed spat at him, proving his point, or at least in his eyes. In my eyes, I was already seeing flaws with that statement; namely, the fact that we were all going to train to learn how to defend ourselves. Robert hadn't trained yet.

"I wouldn't let anything happen to her!" Robert spat back.

"Right," Jed said, getting up, and yanking Robert up by a fistful of his shirt. "I think it's time you and I had a talk," he growled, dragging him off further away from everyone, who had returned to see what was going on.

"Wait! What are you doing?" I asked. Neither answered me.

"Don't worry about it," Toni said.

"Jed?" I shouted after him. "You can't stop me from fighting. I will be involved in this!"

He didn't reply.

"I'm going to take your silence as agreement!"

**Heeyy again, my lovelies. I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite being somewhat shorter than previous ones. I promise the next will be longer :D**

**Jed got his big brother on, which was kinda fun to write!**

**Robert is adorable!**

**And they attempted to be teenagers and lighten up a bit in all that darkness!**

**So, first of all, a quick update: I'm about to head into exams and receive a bunch of assignments, so my work load's going to be a lot fuller than it has been. Why are you telling me this, you may very well ask? Well, my lovelies, it's like this; it'll take me longer to update the next chapter. At the latest, I hope to update at least every two weeks until I'm done with exams and assignments, but don't hold me to that time frame.**

**Anyway, on to the replies;**

**Bookcrazy24: **You're always the first to review another chapter ;P I seriously can't explain how much it means to me that you like my story so much! I'm glad, once again, that you enjoyed the chapter! And I'm super glad you like the way I've worked Harper into the story! Seriously, you think she'd work in the movie? Aw, thank you so much! You have no idea how much you made me grin like an idiot! Is it wrong if I say I like that my writing can provoke such a strong reaction (such as crying) from my readers? Sweet is what I was going for when I wrote that scene, so I'm glad it hit it's mark with you :D Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter too!

**KatieBaby11: **Yay, I'm so glad you love my story! Haha, that makes me feel kind of bad that you check so many times just to find it's not updated yet! It makes me want to write faster and not worry about studying for my exams! An amazing writer? Well, shucks, if you insist :D Haha, no, I'm glad you like my writing and the pace I've set for Harper and Robert! I have a tendency to jump right into the romance (because I'm such a hopeless romantic. Seriously, there's no hope for me), but this time I'm trying to take it slower with them, because, as you said, they're in the middle of WW3! That being said, if it seems like I'm going too fast with them at any point, please let me know so I can change the chapter if you think it's serious enough to be unrealistic! Thank you so much for reviewing!

**Wolverines: **Wow, thank you so much! I'm super excited that you like reading about Harper so much! I certainly like writing her, so to know other's like reading about her because they like her is just fantastic! I'm glad you're liking the way the story's going! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Hellraiserphoenix: **Haha, glad you're liking it! Hopefully I didn't take too long to update, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Theonlyredhead: **Thank you! I'm so glad you like it so far! I have a confession to make; I didn't know what BAMF was, so I had to google it! There were a bunch of different definitions, but I think it was Bad Ass Mother Fucker? Is that right? If it is, then thank you so much! I was laughing so hard when I read that definition and I was like, 'I think Harper is a total BAMF!'! If it doesn't stand for that, then I feel like an idiot and I apologise, and I'd like to know what it actually means :D I'm glad Robert has someone like her too! I mean, in the movie, he was such a sweetie, that I felt he needed a strong, independent love interest, you know? Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing, and I hope you liked this chapter too!

**KelseyBl: **Aw, shucks, I'm glad you liked it! Haha, yeah, I can see Harper getting herself into trouble on more than one occasion :D Oh, thank God you agree about the speeches! I was hoping people would, because I thought they were so important to the movie! I agree; last chapter I didn't feel as though anything really stuck out for me when I was writing it either! But I'm glad you liked it still! Oh, god, like I told KatieBaby11, I feel terrible that you're checking so often only to find I haven't updated yet! If these exams weren't so important (and if I thought they'd be easy to pass) I'd totally forsake study for writing! Thank you so much for reviewing again (I love that you're obsessed ;P) and I hope you likd this chapter too!

**iNevermore: **Yay! I'm glad you get the whole bonding through tragedy thing – I wasn't sure if I was portraying it right, but you clearly get it! Haha, yeah, she's more of an act now think later kinda gal; and she totally has skills. I hadn't really thought about it that way, but you're right; getting that stuff off her chest would have helped to hype up the others to fight back! Man, you're a genius! And I know; 'Kudos' just rolls of the tongue! Anyway, glad you liked the previous chapter, and I hope you liked this one too! :D Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Sourtiger83: **Thank you so much! Hopefully this chapter was up to your expectations :D I hope you enjoyed it, and I'm glad you like my story enough to want to see where I'm going with it. Thank you so much for taking the time to review!

**Kelly1432: **Haha, I'm so glad you like how badass Harper is; she was totally ready to jump into that clearing and start shooting! She's actually really fun to write; she's actually the exact opposite to my own personality, so sometimes it's kinda hard to write and get right, but if you're liking it then I feel as though I've accomplished something! I'm super excited that you love her so much and are eager for the next chapter! No, don't apologise for a 'late' review (I didn't consider it late at all :D), just thank you for reviewing in the first place! It means so much to me, so thank you!

**Seriously you guys, thank you so much for your support! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Until next chapter :D**


	6. A Bunny Is Enough To Colour Me Red

A Bunny Is Enough To Colour Me Red

It turned out there were old lights still strung up in the mine from when it was actually used. I didn't care much about the how's or why's, just that it meant we had light for a few hours after the night had taken over. Everything was a little more scary in darkness, and a little more real.

During the day when we had plenty of light it was easy enough to fool and joke and pretend we weren't about to embark on a mission that was more than likely going to get most, if not all of us killed. During the day, we were just a bunch of kids, thrown together by circumstance, finding out we actually got along rather well.

But when night crept up on us, and we lost the acuity that our sense of sight afforded us, we were more vulnerable, and we knew it. The Korean's weren't our only enemy.

From the days when the Eckerts used to have other families join them at the cabin, which would have to then accommodate for more people than it's bedding capacity was, were plenty of camper beds; little trundle like beds that folded up and had thin, uncomfortable mattresses. We set them up quickly, piling on top sleeping bags and pillows and blankets; it would get much colder soon, more so than it was in the cabin, which kept out a lot of the cold. Plus, actual rays of sunlight didn't shine down the long shaft, so they couldn't properly warm it up.

Unsurprisingly to me, Jed set up his bed in front of me, so that the head of it was near the foot of mine. But when he did lay down on it, his head would be facing the entrance. Surprisingly to me, Robert set up his bed so the head of it was facing the head of mine. I wondered if he knew he'd need comfort the way I did last night. It didn't bother me if he did. He must know that.

The rest of the stuff we piled into the first little pocket along. It all fit neatly. And we were done quickly, with still a good two or three hours of light left. Toni sat down on her bed with a groan, lifting her short hair off the back of her neck.

"Is there some place we can bathe?" she asked, her tone conveying she wasn't holding out too much hope.

"There's only the river," I said, sitting down on my bed. "And the water will probably be freezing."

She perked back up, "I'm willing to risk it," she said. "Anything to wash the dirt and mud and sweat off me."

I looked to Jed, waiting his permission, not that I necessarily needed it, but he was kind of our leader, by silent mutual agreement. He thought about it for a moment. "It'll have to be quick. There's nine of us, so we can go in groups of three. You three girls wash first, and two others can stand guard, further away."

Truthfully, I would feel better knowing there was someone with a gun standing guard, and also I felt better about not being alone, though I didn't feel at all comfortable with undressing in front of two other girls, one who I wasn't close with, and one I didn't know until yesterday. Until we could do some reconnaissance, we had to act like the enemy was everywhere. In fact, I was surprised Jed was letting us do this.

"I'll guard," Mattie said, his jaw tight as he grabbed one of the AK's I took off a dead soldier.

"Me too," Robert said.

"I don't think so," Mattie replied and Jed nodded.

"Danny, you go," Jed said. Jed and Mattie were the only two _really_ experienced with shooting, other than myself, and one was going with us, the other was staying here. I figured Danny must have more experience than Robert though. "The enemy is close, and no one can afford to be distracted," he said meaningfully, though I wasn't sure why he said it meaningfully, and I didn't know who he was aiming the statement at.

Robert opened his mouth, maybe to protest, but Jed cut him off. I was beginning to think that maybe Jed didn't like Robert very much and I had no idea why. "Are you saying you wouldn't be the least bit distracted, at all? Or even tempted to be distracted? Come on," he scoffed, though he seemed angry about the point he was trying to prove, like he wasn't happy his point was true, or something.

His cheeks coloured a light shade of pink and he clenched his jaw shut, not replying and studiously staring at the wall.

"Right, now that you've gotten that out of the way, can we go?" Toni asked, somewhat impatiently.

I grabbed one of the bars of soap and a towel, like Toni and Julie, and we headed down to the river. Mattie led the way, and I jogged to catch up to him.

"Mattie?"

"Yeah?" he replied, but he kept his eyes on the trees around us.

"Does Jed not like Robert?" I asked, wondering if he had caught onto what I was picking up on as well.

"It's not that," he stated.

"And does Danny know how to shoot a gun?" I asked.

"Nope. He's never needed to; his family wasn't much into it. His parents are both teachers," he explained. I already knew that though; his mum had been my third grade teacher.

I nodded, frowning, "Then if Danny had no more experience than Robert, why wasn't he allowed to guard? What did it matter, seeing as they're both at the same level of no experience?"

"I don't trust him for this," Mattie said, as we neared the river.

"_Why_ on earth not?" Incredulousness coloured my tone as I looked at him like he had gone bat shit crazy. "How could you not trust him, when he has the same reason for hating this invasion and those who performed it that you do?"

"Because he's a _guy_," Mattie said simply, like that explained everything. Which it didn't. When he didn't elaborate further, I sighed, having to keep questioning him. Getting proper answers from his was like prying a nail out of a block of wood with my bare hands.

"Mattie, I don't know if you know this, but _you're_ a guy too. And so is Danny." I told him slowly, not wanting to overwhelm him if he wasn't aware of this fact.

But he just shook his head, "It's different."

We made it to the river, and he instructed Danny to go to the other side, further in and guard from that side, and to keep his eyes and ears peeled.

"How is it different?" I asked, thinking it would probably be easier with the nail. Julie and Toni headed down to the water, but I followed Mattie to where he went, out of sight of the river, giving us some privacy.

"Go wash," he gestured, and I wasn't sure if it was a dismissal.

"Come on Mattie, just tell me."

"Look," he sighed. "It's like this; three naked girls. And one of them is like my sister."

"So?"

"_So_, he's a _guy_." Was I going to have to point out the obvious again? "It's just different, I'm not going to explain, okay? Now go wash."

"Fine," I snapped, "But I want you to know you weren't the least bit helpful."

I trudged back to the river, grumbling under my breath.

"I-i—it's-s-s fr-fr-freez-ing," Toni informed me. They were in up to their necks, washing as fast as possible, and both were looking away so I could undress. The cool air bit at my previously warm skin, raising goose bumps, but it was a hundred times worse when I actually got in the water. This part of the river was wider, so right in the middle the water came up to my waist, but we squatted down.

"Oh my god," I said, when I finally made myself sink under to my neck. I kept moving my legs as I viscously scrubbed the bar of soap over my dirty, oily, gross skin. It felt like tiny pinpricks of ice were being jabbed over every inch of my skin.

'Yeah, I don't know how much more I can stand," Julie said.

Scrunching up my face, I built up the courage to tilt my head back and wet my hair. I winced, jerking back up as soon as I was positive it was sufficiently soaked. Quickly, I ran the soap through it, scrubbing at my scalp, and face. It wasn't ideal to use on my hair, but it would have to do until we got some shampoo.

"O-ok-ay, I-I'm get-t-ing ou-ou-out now!" I forced out around chattering teeth. If we stayed in much longer, we'd get sick. They followed me out as well.

I lunged for my towel, wiping the water away as quickly as I could, before wrapping the towel around my head and yanking on my clothes. We were just getting back into dirty clothes, but at least out skin was clean; we'd have to wash them another day, when everyone gets a second set to change into while they dry. I zipped up the bomber jacket, shivering a moment until they died away and my body warmed up the clothing again.

I squeezed the water from my hair with the towel, calling out, "Danny, we're done." A second later he appeared, heading for the narrower part of the river downstream, where it pinched in enough that he could leap across. We grabbed Matt and headed back to the mine.

I kept rubbing at my hair so that no water would seep through my jacket, and when we made it back, I stood in the patch of sunlight at the entrance, bending over so it would hopefully dry it.

Behind me, a voice cleared, "Harper?"

"Yes?"

"What uh…what are you doing?" Robert asked, standing beside me and I turned my head to look up at him from my doubled over position.

"Trying to dry my hair," I grinned.

"Oh." He didn't smile back, and I didn't blame him. In the space of just a couple hours, he'd been told his parents were dead, making him all alone, and he'd become a part of something that was going to fight back. You can't just bounce back, or snap out of it. My chest still ached, it was just easier now to ignore it, and not let it get in my way. Having a purpose made the grieving process smoother, it made it hurt a little less knowing I would be extracting revenge on the people who took my family away. I guessed it was the same for him.

I straightened up, blood rushing and making my head hurt for second before clearing up. We just stood there a moment, looking up at the sun as it neared the horizon. I spotted a towel and soap in his hand, and wondered who else was going. He followed my eyes to the soap.

"I stink," he said, attempting a sheepish grin.

I laughed and leaned over towards him, sniffing. "Nah, you don't stink that bad." Yeah, he smelled like sweat, but over that was something stronger and much nicer that pretty much masked anything else; part woodsy/nature part…male. It was…kind of addictive. I frowned.

"Harper," Jed said behind me and he shoved one of the AK's into my hand when I turned to him. He had soap and a towel as well, and so did Darryl. Then Greg wandered out holding the other AK awkwardly, like he really had no idea what to do with it.

I grabbed Jed's arm and held him back. "Could you be a little nicer?" I hissed at him. Jed looked confused. "To Robert. He just found out his parents are dead."

"Did he put you up to this?" Jed growled.

I shook my head exasperatedly, "No, in fact he hasn't even complained about it. _I'm_ asking you. Cut your macho act out."

"Harper," he said slowly, thinking carefully about what he said next. "It's my right as a big brother."

I just stared at him, "Is this some kind of joke? Did you all get together and conspire to do shit to confuse me and then not give me any straight answers?"

He chuckled and lengthened his stride, not bothering to reply. I poked my tongue out at him; it was childish, but I think he deserved it. I caught up to Greg, offering him a comforting smile.

"You probably won't even have to use it," I offered. He nodded. When we reached the river, I told him to stay this side and I went to the other, leaping across the pinched section. Jed's annoyed eyes followed me and I knew he caught on to what I was doing, and he wasn't really very happy about it.

My side of the river was a tiny bit closer to the town, where the enemy was. If anyone was sniffing around in these parts, they'd more than likely come across me before Greg across the river. I figured it'd be better to put someone who knows how to shoot on this side. It probably never even occurred to Mattie to do that; it was kind of out of the box, considering that technically, we were approximately equal distances from the town, but because of the way the river winded down, it would mean anyone climbing up would meet me first. Then again, along some parts, the river was narrow, or it flowed down into a valley, with the two sides close together – it wasn't difficult to cross.

I walked further in, until I couldn't see the river anymore and stopped, putting my back to a tree and holding the semi-automatic AK-47 with a light grip. My eyes swept over the undergrowth and trees, searching for movement, straining my eyes to see further away, and listening closely for noise. The woods were relatively quiet. Every now and then I heard some bird cry out as they took to the sky, or sang when they landed on a branch.

Distantly, I heard a rustle. It was quick, and stopped quickly. But then I heard it again. My heartbeat sped up, my fingers tingling and nerves taking up residence in my stomach. I took deep breaths to steady myself, to calm myself so that I could hear over the blood pumping in my ears. It was quiet, the sound distant, so it was far away. Instantly, I became more alert. Jed was right; we couldn't afford to become distracted. I lifted the AK higher, straining my ears, trying to find what direction it was coming from. My bloodless fingers were ready at the trigger.

I slid my feet slowly and carefully over the dirt and moss, my eyes rapidly flicking about. I heard it again, a little louder this time, so I knew I was going in the right direction. I picked up my pace, placing my feet carefully so I didn't make a sound. It was something you learned when you went hunting, because any noise could startle your prey, and they'd take off and you'd never see it again, and all the time you spent tracking it and moving into position would have been a waste.

My back was tensed, my muscles tightening with keeping my body poised for movement, my arms sore from the weight of the gun. I kept walking but slower, when the sound disappeared again, as I waited to hear it again. Something was definitely in the woods, and I didn't know what it was. I wouldn't until I got closer, but it could be anything. It was likely it was just an animal, but we were surrounded by our enemies, and who's to say Capitan Cho didn't send out a hunting party of his own? It could be an animal, but it could also be a person.

I paused, remaining still as I listened. A sound as loud as a firing gun went off right behind me, startling me and making me scream, and I spun around, gun aimed and ready. I sensed movement behind me, darting past, and in my peripheral I spotted a brown blur. A deer.

Robert's eyes widened and his hands went in the air, "Don't shoot. It's just me. It's just me."

I was breathing heavily, and my eyes darted down to his feet, where a snapped branch was, one I stepped over before. My heart threatened to leap out of my chest it was beating so hard. In fact, I think he just took ten years off my life. "Are you crazy?!" I screeched at him. "I could've taken your goddamn head off! Who sneaks up like that, on someone who's holding a gun? Next time, make your presence known!"

"Sorry," he said quickly, lowering his hands when I lowered the gun, pointing it at the ground. His face was paler than usual, probably from the freezing water, and his hair was soaked, water droplets were dripping down his face. "We called out, but you mustn't have heard us, so I came looking for you. What were you doing so far away?" his voice was low naturally, so it wasn't very loud. I liked that; his voice wasn't annoying, it was calming.

His words made me remember the rustling. It must have been that deer and I grinned ruefully, "I heard something…" I said softly, shaking my head, kind of embarrassed now. Until I heard the rustle again, close by. Really close. I spun around, seeing some bushes nearby shake slightly. "That. Get behind me Robert." My tone left no room for argument as I brought the gun up again, aiming. But the rustling stopped when I started talking. It was silent a moment.

Then a rabbit darted out from the bush, hopping away as fast as its legs could take it and disappearing under another bush further away. It began to rustle too. I stared after it, a disbelieving half-smile on my face. "It was just a bunny."

Suddenly I heard thumping footsteps behind me, and they had to be close because the undergrowth muffled a lot of noise your feet made, and I spun around, gun back up, pointing right at Jed. Behind him Darryl and Greg froze, eyeing the gun pointed at them. "Jesus Christ! Don't sneak up on me!" I shouted at them, again trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. "God, you're all trying to give me heart failure!"

"What took so long?" Jed asked, pinning Robert with a look of annoyance. "You were supposed to get her and bring her back. I thought you could at least handle that."

"It's not his fault, it's mine," I told him defensively. "I heard something."

"What?" Jed said, his eyes automatically snapping up and sweeping around, searching for a threat.

I pursed my lips to stop the embarrassed smile, but my cheeks heated up, "A bunny."

"A bunny?" he repeated, monotone. And then Jed actually laughed, like I hadn't heard him do in a while.

"Yeah," I said sheepishly. Identical grins of laughter and teasing were plastered on Darryl and Greg's faces. I blushed harder.

"The rabbit did make a lot of noise for a rabbit. It could have been anything much bigger," Robert said in my defense. They just laughed harder.

"Of course _you_ would say that," Darryl said to him.

"Right, well, if you're all done laughing at me, you should know Robert's my new favourite person. He didn't laugh," I informed them. Jed sobered up real quick and I looked at him haughtily, chin jutting out, as he gave Robert a long look. Robert had a triumphant, self-satisfied smile on his face.

I brushed past them all, jumping over the narrow part of the river, and making it back to the mine before everyone else.

Toni spotted the annoyed look on my face, "What happened?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'll tell you, don't worry."

Sure enough, Darryl was spreading the story around as soon as he got back. I glared at him the whole time, but he seemed unperturbed by it.

Laughter echoed down the shaft and I reluctantly joined in.

It _was_ kind of funny.

**Hiya!**

**Okay, I know that ending kind of sucked…Hopefully you're not too disappointed!**

**Sorry it took so ridiculously long to update!**

**So, in case you haven't figured it out, Harper has no idea that Robert likes her, and probably has for a while. But I was thinking maybe in the next chapter or two, she could start to see him as an attractive person, rather than just another person affected by this situation they're in. Do you think it's too soon for that though?**

**And, on to the replies…**

**Theonlyredhead: **Haha, sorry! I am always the last one to know anything! I'm not even kidding, and my friends are no help; they start using these new acronyms and they know all these rumors about people, and they don't tell me because they think I already know, so I'm always the last to know!

**Bookcrazy24: **yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the last chapter! And I'm super pleased you love my story so far. Haha, I liked writing Jed as overly protective of Harper; it's a lot of fun, though I'm not sure if I'm doing it right because I don't have any older brothers. Yay for cuteness between Harper and Robert! I kind of just want them to get together already because he's adorable and she's awesome, but obviously it'll be a while… Have I told you lately how grateful I am that you review all the time? It really means a lot to me, and I hope you like this chapter too!

**Redhouse138: **Thanks so much! I'm glad you're into my story so far and that you like what I've done with it so far! :D You should definitely start a project for this – there's not that many stories in this archive. I'd definitely be interested in seeing what you do – I loved the movie, so another story in here would be fantastic :D Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Thanks so much for reviewing!

**x XRoweenaJAugustineX x: **Haha, yes, but it's fun to write him that way, all protective and what not :D Thanks so much for reviewing and I hope you are enjoying my story so far :D Oh, I just realized you've also reviewed my 'New Kids In Town' story (which I haven't updated in forever, but I'm planning on it very soon!), so thank you so much for that :D

**Kate and Humphrey Forever: **Hey, so glad you like my story so far (and of course, thanks again for PMing me – that was really super sweet)! Yep, haha, Jed (and Matt) are getting their big brother on, and I'm so glad you like Harper! Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Wolverines: **So glad you enjoyed the way Harper and Jed are like squabbling siblings, haha! Thanks for reviewing again- it means so much to me! I love having Jed as overly protective, it's fun to write because it clashes with Harpers independent i-can-do-it-myself kind of personality. Anyway, thanks so much, and I hope you like this chapter too!

**KelseyBl: **Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed that part- it was fun to write! Jed's older and probably thinks he has to protect Harper from everything, especially a boy who could potentially break her heart. Also, I think he's just coming to terms with the fact that she isn't a little kid anymore, and in a big brother fashion, has to scare off anyone who has realized it too. And yes! My uni work load kind of sucks because it takes way too much time to do, haha, especially when all I want to do is write this! Thanks so much for reviewing again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**Anazzzel: **Aw, shucks, you're too kind :D. Thanks so much! I'm glad you like Harper and think she's believable (that's always the hardest part for me to get right; the character being believable. That and keeping the regular characters in character, haha! So, it's definitely an elating feeling to have someone say you're doing both fairly well!). I know, Robert's just too cute (I'm usually writing stronger male characters, so his character being such a softie is a nice change. It's probably why I made Harper a stronger character, and totally badass)! Thank you so much, I'm glad you want to see where this goes (even though I actually have no idea ;P) and thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

**AmericanHoney12: **Oh, thank you! I'm super excited for another person to gain an interest in my story! And I'm so glad you like Harper; she's definitely tough and independent! That's what I love about her; she doesn't need anyone to take care of her! Thank you so much for reviewing and I'm glad you like it so far. Hopefully you liked this chapter too!

**Leilalovencis: **Um…I'm not sure what '))' means, or if it's meant to mean anything, or if it was just a typo, but…thanks? Haha, clearly you've read up to chapter 5, so I hope you are enjoying it so far, and that you like this chapter too!

**JeremyRennerLover: **Haha, thank you so much! Wow, I'm glad you love this story so completely, haha! Now I feel bad it took so long to update…But I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the others! Thanks so much for taking the time to update; it's so elating to know someone really likes your story, enough to leave a review telling you so, so thanks so much! (BTW, I love your penname :D)

**Cassia-Aedea: **Thanks so much! I know, the movie was great! Yeah, I know the thing you're talking about and I hated it too! Oh, that's great that Harper is like you! She's fun to write, but a polar opposite to me, so if I get stuck with her, I know who to ask! Robert is adorable! I'll try to write more of them together! Anyway, I'm glad you are enjoying this story so far, and hopefully you liked this chapter too! Thanks so much for reviewing! Aw, thanks :D You're awesome too, haha, if only for the fact you think I'm awesome!

**Guest: **Aw, thank you! I'm so glad you are liking my story so far, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Thanks so much for taking the time to review!

**Sakura2113: **Oh, definitely not agreement, but he'd be hard-pressed to make Harper do something she didn't want to do, or to stop her from doing something she does :D She's too stubborn to back down, haha! Thanks so much for taking the time to review! I hope you like this chapter!

**Guest: **Haha, that's fine, I'm just grateful you took the time to review! Aw, thanks so much, but I don't know about the best, haha, but it's super sweet of you to say! I know, I just love Josh Hutcherson too, and Robert is too cute for words! Anyway, I'm so glad you are enjoying this story so far, and I hope you liked this chapter too!

**Slytherin Studios: **Thank you so much, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Sorry it took so long to update! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Thank you so much for taking the time to review!

**Guest: **Wow, you're favourite? Thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it that much! It's taken me way too long to update, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Thanks so much for reviewing!

**Kait11Rip: **Haha, sorry it took so long to update! Though, in a guilty kind of way I'm glad you're desperate for the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, thanks so much for reviewing!

**SilverAdvenger12:** Thank you so much! I'm glad you like my story and my writing! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter too! Thanks so much for taking the time to review – it means so much to me!

**Jeffhardyluvsme: **Thank you so much, I'm glad you're liking my story so far! Yeah, protective Jed is fun to write, for sure, and no! Robert has no idea what he's gotten himself into, haha! Thank you so much for taking the time to review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!


	7. The Turning Point

The Turning Point

The other three went to wash, Jed and Toni taking up guard, which left me as the protector of this mine. I assembled the hunting rifle, feeling like I was under intense scrutiny as Robert watched my movements closely, and Julie seemed kind of uncomfortable by it.

"It's a .308 Winchester," I offered to him. His face gave me no indication as to whether he knew what that meant or not, he just watched me. "It's a centerfire rifle."

He frowned, and cleared his voice, "What does that mean?"

I smiled encouragingly, "It just distinguishes what type of cartridge the rifle uses. With a centerfire cartridge, the priming compound is inside the primer, which is a small metal cup, made separate from the casing, and it's implanted into the hole at the center of the base of the cartridge. And then the spark is produced when the firing pin strikes the primer, crumpling it against an internal anvil."

He shook his head, a half-smile on his face, his eyes hooded, "How do you know all that?"

I shrugged, "My dad. He taught me; he always said that there's more to firing a gun than just pulling a trigger. I hated when he said that, because it was usually followed by a long explanation of how a certain gun worked, when it was made, the history surrounding it. And then, if I complained about it, he'd just take longer, tell me more," I rolled my eyes, smiling wistfully at the memory. "And I never learnt, because I always complained," I laughed, "And he'd say, 'Now listen up squirt, this is real important'," I put on a deeper voice, impersonating him and doing a very poor job.

We were quiet a moment as I was washed up in those painful memories I had of him. Now it wasn't just memories of my dad that I had, but also my mum and sister. "I was at his funeral," he suddenly said, bringing me right out of my inner musings.

"You were?"

He nodded, "My dad was in the same grade growing up. Your speech made my mum cry," he said softly, like he didn't want to upset me, like he was trying to be gentle with such a harsh and ugly topic. "But you didn't."

"No," I shook my head. "My mum was a mess, and my sister was always very…open about her feelings. They both couldn't stop crying. Part of it was that; I wanted to be strong for them. Part of it was that I thought if I didn't cry it would make the whole situation go away and he'd turn up at the door, saying there was a mix up. And part of it was because he hated when we cried." I tried to explain how I couldn't cry then. How, when I tried, sure that crying would help, it was like there was nothing there. It was like that for a long time.

Until one day, I decided to go to the shooting range, a place I hadn't been to since we found out. I missed the target, over and over again, and all I could think of was how this was something my dad and I shared and all I could hear was his voice in my head, telling he how to fix it so I'd hit something, and all I could see was his easy smile a she ruffled my hair. And I just lost it. I broke down right in the middle of the range, confusing everybody and freaking out Mr. Barten who worked there. He called my mum, and Mattie picked me up, not saying anything as my body uncontrollably shook with sobs, his eyes sad. Mum held me the rest of the night, letting me cry into her shoulder.

"We can talk about something else, if you want," Robert said gently, and I didn't know how he could be so considerate of my feelings when I was blabbering on about my dad dying when he just lost his own parents.

"Thanks," I sniffed, thankful I hadn't cried. I wouldn't let myself cry anymore. I'd cried enough for one lifetime. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know…did you know we were in the same math class? I sat right behind you." he asked. I was a sophomore, but I was in the junior trigonometry class.

I frowned, trying to conjure up a memory of that class with Robert in it. And then I smiled, "Yeah, I remember. That was one of my favourite classes."

"Math was your favourite class?" he asked incredulously. "What were your other favourite classes? And please don't say something like physics."

I smiled, shaking my head. "Just history and trigonometry," I said.

"Most people say art or English or something like that," he said, looking up when we heard footsteps. I lifted the now assembled rifle up, just as a precaution, though I was certain that it was just the rest of them. As soon as that could be confirmed, I turned back to Robert.

"I have no artistic talents whatsoever, and I liked English but it never got me thinking the way math did, and history was just so interesting."

Our conversation was cut short as we made dinner before the sun completely sunk below the horizon, setting up a fire far enough away from where we slept, just to be safe. It was a simple dinner, using most of the non-perishable food I'd got from my house. We'd have to get more real soon.

Jed and Toni offered to guard for the first shift, and I volunteered for the second shift, with Robert who volunteered afterwards as well. I was glad he did, because I was beginning to really like Robert; I'd never had much to do with him before and I hated that it took World War III to change that. As I slowly ate the rice, I looked across at him, over the fire, frowning. He was in the middle of saying something to Daryl, but feeling my stare, he looked over and smiled.

I nearly choked on my rice. I'd never seen him give a full-blown smile before, only half ones, or ones mixed with some other emotion. His smile was amazing. His lips were thin, but when he smiled they stretched across his face, the lines around them deepening as he showed his teeth. Did he even know his smile was amazing?

And then we were finishing up, and Julie was offering to wash the plates. The warmth from the fire made me sleepy and I got up, stretched and began to make my way back to the mine, collapsing on my bed, and sinking into the sleeping bag. I didn't realize how tired I was until now as my eyelids got heavier and I drifted to a world not dissimilar to this one.

I was walking the line between being asleep and being awake when I heard it. The sound of a sleeping bag shifting as a body moved in it, sniffing, and deep breathing that sounded like the person was trying to be quiet. Very quiet. But I heard, because he was right next to me. I lay there a second, biting my lip.

Emotions weren't really my forte. Las night, Robert had been there for me, a comforting hand that said more than he did; that he was there for me, he understood, I wasn't alone. All of it, and it helped. Then when he found out about his parents, I'd hugged him, holding him. That had been instinctual; I just did it, like it was the most natural thing in the world. But now that I thought about it, it felt awkward, and I had no idea what to do. Should I hold his hand? Stroke his hair? Or was that too personal? Did he want to be alone, did he not want anyone else to know?

I shook my head. Great, now I was overanalyzing it. Just…be natural. Let it happen, don't think about it, just do.

I got up of my bed. I heard Robert stop breathing so he wouldn't be heard. Too late, I almost said. My hands fumbled around in the dark, meeting the edge of his bed, running over his sleeping bag as I searched. He sat up, confused, "Harper?" he said lowly, quietly.

"Yeah," I replied, finding the edge of his sleeping bag. "Move over."

I started to shiver slightly, the cold finally working through the heat I'd managed to hang on to until then. My limbs were uncoordinated as I sat on his bed, swinging my legs into the warm bag, sighing slightly at the wonderful warmth. That as the only invitation I needed, and I shoved myself into the bag.

Which wasn't my brightest plan considering the bags were only made for one, but if it didn't bother him, it didn't bother me. And he didn't say anything, just shuffled back further in the bag. I pulled the zip up, sealing the warmth, and twisted my body around to face him, which was difficult. It was really difficult to move in a small space, but when my cold fingers brushed against the deliciously heated mass that was Robert, I pressed myself right against him and shivered slightly, attempting to steal his warmth. Which was mean of me.

My head was pressed against his chest and I breathed in that scent that was just him. the sleeping bag covered my head, and he wriggled down slightly so his head was under it as well. We lay there, completely still for a moment, the only sound was our breathing.

Tentatively, with light touches, I searched for his hand. When I found it, I entwined our fingers, holding tightly. He breathed out harshly in a rush, a sudden exclamation of air, and I knew he was trying not to break down. I didn't blame him. I swallowed, biting my lip, before, "I'm so sorry Robert."

Tiny tremors ran through his body and he shook his head, "It's not your fault."

"No…" I said slowly, "But I'm still sorry it happened to you." I was sorry it happened to any of us.

"Thank you Harper," he said softly.

"Always," I gave his hand a tight squeeze.

I snuggled down, sighing, and holding his hand tightly, rubbing my thumb across his hand gently. I would stay awake all night if he needed. One arm slid under my head, like a pillow, and wrapped around my back, holding onto me. My free hand gripped his jumper, pulling him close, and I leaned my forehead against his chest.

Hands were shaking me and I swatted at them, groaning and trying to roll away from them. Which was a bad idea when I rolled onto something lumpy and human-like. I quickly rolled off, bolting into an up-right position and looked around, momentarily confused. Damn it, I'd fallen asleep!

Then Jed's voice exploded in the quiet cave, anger strengthening his tone, "What do you think you're doing?"

I jumped at the sudden loudness of his voice, and looked around, blinking, as everyone else jerked awake and into awareness, "What's going on?" Darryl asked.

Jed ignored him, glaring daggers at Robert and I, "What do you two think you're doing?"

I blinked through my foggy brain, looking at Robert in confusion, who suddenly jumped up, putting space between us and looking at Jed, "Nothing! She was just - "

"Hold up," I snapped, getting him to shut up, "We don't need to explain anything to _you_," I growled dangerously at Jed. A warning. "Who do you think you are?"

"We're in a war!" Jed replied, equally fiercely, "And you're doing god knows what – "

I started laughing, though it was an irritated laugh, "Is that what this is about? Jesus Jed, really? You think I'd have sex on a camping bed, in a freaking cave with seven other people around?" I glared at him venomously, my voice lowering so I spoke slowly, dangerously, the way I did when I was really angry. "Do you really think I'm that desperate?" His jaw clenched and he didn't reply.

I glanced at the AK in his hands, "Is it my turn for shift?" He nodded, and I reached for it. My fingers met the cold metal, and I looked him in the eye, barely containing my own anger as I attempted to rein it in. "You should know, because clearly you don't understand this, but even if I wanted to, it's none of _your_ damn business."

I walked out, and when I made it outside, I began to shiver. I leaned against the rocky wall of earth outside, just to the left of the entrance. Not long after, Robert came out and joined me. The other AK was in his hands and he clearly didn't know what to do with it.

"Hey," he said softly.

I looked at the sky, breathing slowly, letting the anger wash away. It wasn't him I was angry at. The moon hung there, round and silvery and pretty, oblivious to the lives being torn apart down here. It continued on, indifferent to what happened to us, because it didn't need us the way we needed it.

"It feels like the world has turned upside down, but then I see the moon and I know it's real," I said in reply, softly, to let him know I wouldn't bite his head off. I shivered quietly, the cold of the rocks behind me pressing into my back leeched through my clothing.

"I never thought I'd be here, like this," he gestured around and I nodded in agreement.

We were silent. The world was so peaceful right now, so quiet; completely at odds with what happened during the day. An owl hooted somewhere far off. There seemed to be a constant thrum of life, too quiet for me to distinguish one sound from another.

We slid to the ground, the guns resting across our laps, our shoulders touching slightly. My eyes swept over the trees, and there was a quiet rustle. We jumped up, looking at each other, before turning back to where the rustling was coming from.

"Probably just a bunny," he attempted to joke, remembering back to this afternoon, but I couldn't find anything in me to actually laugh, or give substance to it. My stomach rolled and my heartbeat sped up, my fingers shaking almost imperceptibly from the cold and the restrained nervous energy.

"We should still check it out. I'll go," I said quietly.

"No," Robert said quickly, surprising me. "I'll go."

I frowned, "You don't even know how to use a gun."

"So?" he asked, heading forward but I grabbed his arm, stopping. I was half-smiling in bemusement and incredulousness, trying to figure out if he was serious.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to check it out," he said determinedly and I realized he was in fact serious.

"Robert, I'll do it. I already said I would, plus, I know how to shoot a gun without hurting myself. You could take yourself out if you're not careful," I argued, not letting this slide. It was too serious. I wouldn't let him put himself in danger like that, especially because he had no experience with guns.

"I'm not going to let you go by yourself,' he replied stubbornly, frowning at me.

"Someone has to stay here," I pointed out. "And technically, you can't tell me what to do."

"Yeah I can, I'm older."

"By a _year_," I said, like he was crazy. It was just a year.

"Exactly," he said, like I'd just helped him prove his point.

"Robert," I began calmly, in a voice that just dared him to contest with me. My voice was a warning. "I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. In fact, out here, this is my ball park, so you be older but I pull rank."

"Look," he sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"You're sweet," I replied and he grimaced. "But-."

"And I don't like the idea of you walking towards something potentially dangerous when it's dark, with no one there as back up."

"Again, you're sweet, but-."

He grimaced again, "Can you stop calling me sweet?"

"Sorry, but-."

"And I don't like that I can't protect you."

"_Robert_-."

"And I don't want you to have to shoot someone-."

"Too late," I whispered.

"And I – wait, what?"

I looked him dead in the eye, "Too late," I repeated again. "I've already killed two people."

He gaped at me unintentionally, "You-you've-."

"Yes," I said seriously, leaving no room for discussion. "So stay here damnit."

And I quickly headed for the trees. We'd wasted way too much time arguing about this, so by now the rustling had stopped. Which meant one of two things: it was just an animal and we'd scared it off with our voices, or, we'd given our position away to the enemy who was now gathering themselves for an attack. If they had numbers on their side, they probably would have attacked by now, so my guess was it was just an animal.

I walked through quickly searching around for movement or a glint of something other than trees or animals. I tried to concentrate, but now all I could think of were the two people who were now dead because of me. When did I decide my life was more valuable than someone else's? With everything that had happened, it only occurred to me now what I'd done. I had _killed_ two people. And I'd wanted to kill a third.

How did that make me any better than whoever killed my mother and sister?

Two people who will never again see their families, or children if they have any, or even have any if they don't. They'll never see the moon, so silvery and perfect, or the sun like a blazing orb in the sky, they'll never feel the warmth and the cold. They'll never feel _life_ again. And that was because of me.

When I went back, shaking my head as a negative, all I could think about was what I'd done. I sat back where I'd been before, just staring at the line of trees, shivering. My teeth began chattering, and I wasn't sure if it was just from the cold anymore. Robert settled beside me, staring straight ahead as well. Then, slowly, tentatively he put his arm around my shoulders and when I didn't object, he settled it there. He pulled me closer to him, and I leaned in, resting my head against his chest, breathing in his scent through my nose. It was comforting.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

I shook my head, but then began speaking despite that. "I was running, heading for these woods, and they were chasing. They were shooting, that's the only way I knew I was being followed. So I shot back," I said sadly.

"It wasn't your fault," he said softly, his hand rubbing those same old comforting circles on my upper arm.

"I _killed_ two people Robert," the words tasted bitter in my mouth. "Do you get that?"

"I'm glad you did," he said smoothly, evenly, like we were talking about something trivial like movies or music, not actual lives.

"How can you say that?" I shook my head, burying my face closer.

"Because if you didn't, what would have happened?" he asked, like it was a math problem I was stuck on and he was encouraging me to think about what the next step would be.

"I'd be dead," I said surely, "Without a doubt."

"Exactly."

We sat like that for a while, I don't know how long, but eventually the sun began to rise, and it began to get brighter and warmer. I stopped shivering, but we didn't move. I felt better with him around. It had only been two days and already I could feel myself growing attached to him, in such a short time, he had already become important. I guess being in the middle of World War III meant you get close to people quickly. And my heart wouldn't be able to take it if I lost anyone else.

The sun shone directly on us and I squinted and turned to the side, catching site of Robert as I did. He closed his eyes and turned his face up to the blinding light.

He was…very good looking. I was always slow on the uptake, oblivious, because usually I focused less on what people looked like and more what they said or did. It was just the kind of person I was; I was a do-er, someone who leapt into action. Sometimes I felt like I was moving faster than time, than the world, and it was trying to catch up. I didn't sit around thinking about things, contemplating them, describing them to myself. Their physical characteristics were less important when it came to _doing_ something.

One time, my friends and I were in the park, near some benches. A guy on a skateboard went past, jumping up onto the bench across from us as he went. Hayley had watched him, before saying "Wow, he's cute." There were nods or verbal agreements and I was left wondering if he was good looking, because all I saw was the air he got, the way the board had flipped and how he'd landed it perfectly, like it was as easy as walking.

And now, I couldn't believe it was only just dawning on me that he was so attractive. God, anyone would think I had been blind and was only just regaining my vision now. He had a square jaw, a straight nose and hooded eyes, eyes that had seen things that someone his age shouldn't have seen. He was ridiculously gorgeous, but when he smiled, it was like a freaking electric shock, a jolt to my system. I bit my lip and blushed, getting up and stretching.

"Thanks Robert," I said softly.

"You're welcome."

**Hey Guys, How's it going?**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed the latest installment. More Robert/Harper interaction, some closeness between them. **

**And an irritated, protective Jed, which I just love; it's actually sweet of him to get so defensive on Harper's part, but I think she's going to set him straight soon enough. She's had enough of it. Poor Jed; he probably feels guilty for being away for so long, and he's probably trying to make up for lost time. But he does the whole 'big brother to a sister' thing like a pro, so props to him, for sure.**

**Anyway, thanks so much for sticking around guys, your support for this story is just freaking amazing! Seriously! And I'm on holidays now so I'm hoping to be able to go back to updating once a week, but I have a lot of demands on my time now that I'm free. Seriously, suddenly all my friends want to hang out and have sleepovers and go to the movies to celebrate our freedom!**

**Point is, I'll try super hard to update at least once a week.**

**And, on to the reviews!**

**Totally Fan Girl123: **Haha, thanks so much! I'm super glad you're enjoying it! I definitely have difficulty with the big brother/little sister thing, but it's great that you think I've got them perfect, because it's really fun to write them that way! Bahahaha, really? Oh, I bet it wasn't funny then, but now it totally would be! You just gave me the most amazing compliment in the world; you can picture it in your head? Gosh, you made my day! Thank you so much, it's really sweet of you to say (write)! Thank you so much for reviewing and I really hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the others!

**Bookcrazy24: **I'm glad you liked it! Yes, Harper's not too aware of the whole boy-likes-girl-girl-likes-boy thing, haha, but it's fun to write! Yes, I love reading stories where the reader knows the boy likes the girl, and the girl has no freaking clue; it's just a lot of fun to write, so I'm glad you like it! Yes, same! Though, I have to admit I'd freak out over every tiny noise and movement! Of course Jed didn't; he reckons it's totally up to him to protect Harper's modesty now, and even in a war, he's going to do a damn good job at it, haha! Thank you so much for reviewing every chapter! Seriously, I've said it before, but it means a lot to me! It's really sweet of you!

**Jeffhardyluvsme: **Haha, yes, Harper's a bit slow on the update, even with Jed and Mattie spelling it out for her, but she's relatively a baby when it comes to love/relationships. I agree with the attraction thing, though I just had to check with everyone else because I'm a bit of a, well, hopeless romantic, so I tend to want people to get together before it would realistically happen! Thanks so much for reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D

**Cassia-Aedea: **Heya sugar, yes, I updated, and I'm hoping to update more frequently now as well! Good to know I can count on you :D. Yeah, she's totally slow, but I hope this chapter pushed them further in the direction 'oh, I actually kinda like you'. So, I hope you liked it! You take care of yourself too! Oh yeah, we'd have to hunt Josh down, haha, but uh…I CALL DIBS. Just saying. Haha, he's too gorgeous to be walking around! :D

**Slytherin Studios: **Hey, thanks so much for reviewing again! I'm happy to know you enjoyed the last chapter, and that it made you laugh! I was going for an undercurrent of comedy, so mission accomplished :D Haha! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! :D

**SilverAdvenger12: **Hey, thanks for reviewing again! Glad you liked the chapter, and thanks for letting me know about what you think of the whole Robert thing! I'm a bit of a sappy person, so if I could I'd probably have them together way too soon than realistically probable…yeah, I'm a sucker for romance… Anyway, I thought I'd better check with you guys to check, so thanks for letting me know :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter too :D

**FOREVERMORE: **Hey, thanks for letting me know what you think! I'm glad you like the pace I'm going at :D And no problem about the logging in thing; I know how you feel! So long as I know who it is I'm talking to, haha! Thanks for reviewing again! It's really sweet of you to continue to review!

**Wolverines: **Aw, thank you! I'm glad you liked it! Thanks so much for reviewing, _again_! I love seeing familiar names when I get reviews, because then it feels like people reading actually care what happens to Harper, and that's what I really want! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D

**Haliston: **Aw, thank you! I'm glad you love it! Yeah, I was thinking about having her start to suspect it soon, so thanks for having an idea that agrees with me, haha! Thanks so much for reviewing, I'm really glad you like it! I hope you liked this chapter too :D

**Guest: **Haha, yeah, I'm trying to update closer together now that I'm on holidays! I'm glad you love my story so far! Yeah, I think slowly is definitely a good idea; I had Harper holding Robert in this chapter, so is that kind of what you meant? I'm definitely going to have Harper realize he likes her soon, and realize that maybe she feels something for him too :D Thanks so much for your input, it's really helpful! And yes, Harper's going to set Jed straight soon enough, so he can ease up on Robert and sort of take him under his wing, like you said, because I really liked that in the movie, that sense of them being a family! You're right though; he's still going to be protective of Harper! Definitely! Aw, shucks, you're too kind; I wouldn't say 'excellent', haha, but it's sweet of you to say (write). I hope you liked this chapter :D

**Tanned-legged-julliet: **Haha, well how can I refuse such desperation? Haha, thanks so much for reviewing, I'm glad you like it so far, enough to want to read the next chapter, so I hope you liked this chapter too :D

**oOBlack-SandOo: **Thank you so much! I'm glad you like the way it's progressing! Haha, yeah, I just had to add that little bit in about him being her new favourite person. Thanks so much for reviewing – it means a lot to me, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter too :D

**avatard101: **Awww, shucks, my ego just shot through the roof! That's really sweet of you! I figured you must have hit send before you were finished, haha, but thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it THAT MUCH, haha! I'm glad you think it's 'perfectly flawless', haha, and that you like the bits of fluff I've added (which I hope to increase soon)! Thank you so much for reviewing – it means a lot to me, especially when you write something like that! I really hope you liked this chapter! :D

**Written Sparks: **Aw, thank you! Sometimes I think I over-write stuff, but now I'm glad I do because it means there's more words for you to love, haha! I'm glad you like the action and the pace! Yes, I loved Robert in the 2012 movie as well, which is why I had to pair him with someone! Ugh, I know! Truthfully, I tend not to read over my chapter when I probably should, because I type so fast that sometimes I don't press the keys hard enough, and of course spellcheck doesn't come up because 'your' is a word! Haha, I do know the difference, I just don't re-read it, haha, sorry! Thanks for letting me know; I'll go back over it and fix it up when I get the chance :D Thanks so much for reviewing! It means a lot to me! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! :D

**Guest (chapter 4): **Aw, thank you! I'm glad you thought I captured the raw emotion properly! Enough so that it felt more real! Thanks so much for reviewing, it's really nice of you :D I hope you liked this chapter too :D

**Guest (chapter 6): **are you the same Guest that reviewed Chapter 4? If so, thanks so much for reviewing again, if not, then thanks for reviewing this chapter anyway, haha! I'm glad you like how I lightened the mood; it felt kind of dark to me, and I was like, they're just kids! They shouldn't have to be so sad all the time, so I tried to lighten it just a little. Aw, thank you so much, that's really sweet of you to say I'm talented, haha, but I'm not so sure! Thanks so much for reviewing! And I hope you liked this chapter too! :D

**And there we go! Thanks guys so much! Really!**

**:D**


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